On Friday night, Madden NFL 21 officially released the player ratings for all 32 NFL teams, and there were some Tennessee Titans who simply deserve better.
For the Titans, only two players garnered an overall rating in the 90s. Running back Derrick Henry (93 overall) and safety Kevin Byard (91 overall) got the respect they deserve and both rank in the top five at their respective positions.
But beyond those two, there was a lot wrong with these ratings, which will be updated frequently during the season.
Here’s a look at eight players who should have been given a better initial mark than the one they received.
WR A.J. Brown (81 overall)
At the very least, Brown was the best rookie receiver in the NFL last season, but you can also make the argument he was the best rookie at any position despite getting snubbed for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Yet somehow he isn’t the highest-rated second-year receiver in the game; that distinction goes to Washington wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, who received an overall rating of 82.
Brown had over 100 yards and one receiving touchdown more than McLaurin, and his 1,051 yards and eight scores were tops among rookie receivers. He also graded out as the third-best receiver in the entire league from Week 7 on, according to Pro Football Focus.
Brown’s rating is simply too low, especially when you compare it to that of McLaurin’s or some of the other veteran receivers who were less productive but still got a better rating, like the Oakland Raiders’ Tyrell Williams and the Cincinnati Bengals’ Tyler Boyd.
LT Taylor Lewan (84 overall)
Lewan’s initial overall rating is three higher than what he started out with in 2020, so it’s definitely an improvement, however he should still be rated higher than that.
The former No. 11 overall pick has been an elite left tackle since entering the NFL. He is just one of two tackles in the league to post top-10 grades in both pass protection and run-blocking since 2016, per PFF, and he owned the best run-blocking grade among all left tackles last season.
After a four-game suspension and a rocky start upon his return in 2019, Lewan rounded into form. When it was all said and done, the Michigan product finished with an overall PFF grade of 80.2, which was better than five of the left tackles rated ahead of him in the game.
QB Ryan Tannehill (80 overall)
While a lack of consistency has been an issue during his career, there’s no denying that Tannehill posted one of the best seasons for a player at his position in 2019.
Tannehill was tied for the third-highest grade among quarterbacks, per PFF, and metrics also show he was the best signal-caller at four different types of throws.
If that isn’t enough, he led the NFL in passer rating (117.5), yards per attempt (9.6) and yards per completion (13.6), and he finished third in completion percentage en route to totaling 2,742 yards and 22 touchdowns to six picks in 12 games (10 starts). Those numbers were good enough to earn him a Pro Bowl nod and the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award.
Tannehill’s rating is the 16th-best in the game among quarterbacks and he’s behind guys like the San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo and the Indianapolis Colts’ Philip Rivers, which shouldn’t be the case.
ILB Jayon Brown (79 overall)
Can our guy Jayon at least get an 80?
After all, Brown has developed into one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL since entering the league. Per PFF, his coverage grade is the fifth-best since 2018.
He’s also been a tackle machine, finishing no worse than third on the Titans in that category in each of the last two seasons (and he missed two games in 2019).
Brown’s overall PFF grade from 2019 (71.6) is better than nine of the inside linebackers who own a higher rating. It’s time to put some respect on this man’s name.
C Ben Jones (80 overall)
Jones might be one of the most underrated centers in the NFL.
The Titans center’s overall PFF grade (79.7) was the second-best among players at his position in 2019, and his pass-blocking (85.2) and run-blocking (74.5) grades, as well as his pressures allowed (nine), all ranked in the top five among.
When you take all that into consideration, there’s no reason why there should be 12 other centers with a higher rating than Jones.
RT Dennis Kelly (64 overall)
Forget about comparing Kelly’s overall rating to other right tackles around the NFL to explain why he should have a higher mark, let’s just compare it to his rookie competition for the starting job first.
Kelly comes in with a 64 overall in Madden NFL 21, which is one point lower than that of 2020 first-round pick Isaiah Wilson’s 65.
Now, this is not a knock on Wilson, but you’d think Kelly would be rated higher considering he actually has an NFL resume — and it’s a fairly impressive one at that.
We know Kelly has been a top-notch swing tackle since coming to Nashville, but he’s also played well when given a chance to start on the right side.
In 11 games (five starts) in 2018, Kelly finished as the No. 18 tackle in the NFL based on overall PFF grade, and he followed that up with a top-30 PFF grade in 2019 while playing all over the line.
So, are there really 42 right tackles who deserve a better rating than Kelly? Apparently the ratings adjusters think so, but the numbers don’t really bear that out.
P Brett Kern (84 overall)
Normally, we wouldn’t quibble with a rating that places a guy as the second-best player at his position, but in reality Kern really deserves to be even higher than that.
The man we call “The GOAT” posted the best overall grade (88.9) among punters in 2019 by a ridiculous margin (15.5 points) and was a Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro, two things Hekker was not. He also topped Hekker in net yards per punt and punts landing inside the 20.
If being the best punter in the NFL isn’t enough, Kern can also sling it with the best of them, as his completion to Kevin Byard against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7 of last season showed.
DL Jeffery Simmons (79 overall)
It’s understandable to an extent why he isn’t rated higher given his small sample size, but it can’t be overlooked just how disruptive Simmons was in his first season, and his dominance doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet.
What made Simmons’ rookie campaign even more impressive was that he was able to make a significant impact just 8 months after suffering a torn ACL. Simmons recently admitted he wasn’t completely comfortable in his first season, yet was still able to finish with the No. 38 overall PFF grade among interior defenders.
There’s much more talent here than a 79 would indicate.
Any guy who is a former top-10 talent in the draft (prior to his injury) and can flatten an elite guard like Quenton Nelson should have a higher rating than this by default.
