It was another twofer today as EA also revealed the top five tight ends in Madden NFL 15. While I had some problems with wide receivers earlier, I think Donny Moore, the Madden Ratings Czar, got it right with the tight ends.
Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints) – 97 Overall
Wait, is Graham a wide receiver or tight end? Hardy har. Last year, he was the only tight end to have over 1,000 yards receiving. As Moore says, it doesn't matter where Graham lines up, he's one of the best. At 97 Overall, Jimmy Graham will pose all kinds of matchup problems with the defense. I don't care how improved the defensive backs are, it's hard to stop a guy with 92 Catch, 85 Speed, 87 Agility and 88 Accerlation. When it comes to tight ends, this dude is in a league of his own.
Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) – 96 Overall
I know what you're thinking — how can a guy that can't stay healthy possibly be the second best tight end in the game? To put it simply, Grownkowski, when healthy, is one of the best tight ends there is. His problem is he hasn't shown he can stay healthy. But thankfully, his 73 Injury rating doesn't factor into his overall. So if you don't mind the risk, Gronkowski is definitely worth a shot with 88 Strength, 88 Trucking, and 96 Catch in Traffic.
Vernon Davis (San Francisco 49ers) – 94 Overall
When it came to receptions, Vernon Davis was in the middle of the pack for tight ends. But it's his speed that makes him such a threat. Even though he had only 52 receptions, his 16.3 average helped him attain 850 yards. Oh yea, he also had 13 touchdown receptions. And that's why he's rated 94 Overall with 90 Speed.
Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys) – 93 Overall
For the past decade, Jason Witten has been the staple of the Cowboys offense. He doesn't have blazing speed by any means, but he runs clean routes and has solid hands. That's why he continues to be, as Donny Moore puts it, "Mr. Reliable" for the Cowboys. Witten is getting up there in age, so it's possible we'll start to see a dip in stats but for now he's a top five tight end with 96 Awareness, 87 Route Running, and 94 Catch.
Greg Olsen (Carolina Panthers) – 88 Overall
I don't think Greg Olsen is flashy, but he's versatile and dependable. For those reasons, he cracks the top five for tight ends. In Madden NFL 15, he's got 86 Speed and 85 Catch with "solid" run blocking skills.
If I had to complain with this list, it'd be that Julius Thomas is missing, but I still think he needs to prove he's not a one-hit wonder.
