Tyreek Hill is rated the NFL’s best player by his peers, so it’s fitting that the Miami Dolphins wide receiver received a 99 rating in this year’s edition of Madden NFL, released Friday.
The same goes for this year’s cover athlete, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. He and Hill are two members of the exclusive 99 Club, which also includes McCaffrey teammate Trent Williams and Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce .
There’s no question that these five players received Madden’s highest ratings, but not every player got the respect they deserved in this year’s game.
Here are three players who are underranked in Madden NFL 2025:
Rams WR Pukana Kua: 84 overall
Nakua may not be a top receiver yet, but he shouldn’t be ranked lower than the other 29 receivers at the position.
The exciting receiver for the Los Angeles Rams is coming off an exciting first season in which he set rookie records for catches (105) and receiving yards (1,486). The fifth-round pick also shined when it mattered most, setting a playoff rookie record with 182 receiving yards in Los Angeles’ wild-card loss to the Detroit Lions.
Nakua finished among the top 10 in the league in receptions, receiving yards, yards after the catch and 20 yards of offense in his first NFL season.
He’s also consistent. Nacua’s 87.4 receiving yards per game ranks sixth in the league, surpassing top players like AJ Brown (95 total yards), Davante Adams (94 total yards) and Jamaal Chase (93 total yards). players.
Somehow, Nakua finished tied for 30th among all receivers in this year’s Madden ratings. Perhaps a similarly strong second season will earn the Rams’ young pass catcher the respect he deserves.
Ravens S Kyle Hamilton: 89 overall
Although Hamilton finished his All-Pro season as the NFL’s top scoring defenseman, he was tied with the Chicago Bears’ Kevin Byard III — his third roster spot in seven months. ——Ranked seventh.
Frankly, I’m not sure what else the Baltimore Ravens’ future superstar could do to deserve a higher rating. In his second NFL season at age 22, Hamilton made 81 tackles, including 10 for a loss, defended 13 passes and was intercepted four times, including six interceptions.
Hamilton’s peers took notice, ranking him as the top safety and No. 43 on this year’s NFL Top 100 list. position, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran is Madden’s second-ranked safety (94 overall).
Similar to Nacua, Hamilton’s limited NFL experience may be the biggest reason for his questionably low grade. But given his meteoric rise on Baltimore’s elite defense, Hamilton’s promotion to the top line seems imminent.
Eagles LG Landon Dickerson: 85 overall
Dickerson is the second-best running back in 2023, according to ESPN Analytics, but the left guard barely cracked the top 50 in Madden’s run-blocking grade.
The underrated Philadelphia Eagles star had an 81% run-win percentage last season, second only to teammate Lane Johnson (82%). Dickerson’s win rate is four percent higher than any other interior lineman.
On the face of it, Madden’s 82 runs scored against Dixon already seems a bit low. When you compare that rating to Dickerson’s peers, it becomes astounding.
Trent Williams (99 overall points) and Penny Sewell (96 overall points) are tied for the top run-scoring average (98 points), although neither is in the top 10 in run-getting wins. Tyler Smith (88 overall) leads all left backs in run-blocking percentage with 88 and also failed to crack the top 10 last season.
Dickerson was once again better on the field than all three, but he ranked 49th among all forwards and only sixth at his position.
Dickson’s overall rating was well below Williams’ benchmark for all wingers, while Joe Thuney’s 91 rating was the highest among left backs.
Dickerson is not a liability in pass protection. His 96 percent pass interception win rate last season was tied for fifth among all tight ends.
