Over the weekend, EA continued to divulge player ratings in Madden NFL 15, revealing the top five players at both the defensive tackle and defensive end positions. With all-new defensive line mechanics thanks to War in the Trenches 2.0, top defensive linemen will be scarier then ever before. As if JJ Watt wasn't menacing enough, right?
Without further ado, here are your top defensive linemen.
Defensive Tackle
Ndamakong Suh (Detroit Lions) – 97 Overall
He may be considered a dirty player by some, but he's also considered one of the best at his position. With 95 Pursuit, 97 Power Moves, 95 Hit Power, 98 Strength, and 82 Agility, Ndamakong Suh is the highest rated defensive tackle in Madden NFL 15.
Geno Atkins (Cincinnati Bengals) – 96 Overall
Geno Atkins' 2013 season was cut short by a major injury, but thankfully (as we learned with Gronkowski) injury rating doesn't have any effect on a players overall. What does, however, is Atkins' 92 Acceleration and 98 Power Moves ratings.
Gerald McCoy (Tampa Bay Buccaneer) – 95 Overall
The Buccaneers defense is promising this season, anchored by Gerald McCoy who boasts 97 Power Moves, 91 Tackle and 95 Pursuit.
Kyle Williams (Buffallo Bills) – 95 Overall
With 95 Power Moves, 95 Tackling and 95 Awareness, Kyle Williams remains one of hte top-rated DT in Madden NFL 15.
Jurrell Casey (Tennessee Titans) – 93 Overall
Rounding out the top five is Tennesee Titans' Jurrell Casey, a guy Madden ratings czar Donny Moore says can "do it all three downs." Well, when you have 88 Power Moves, 95 Pursuit and 94 Tackling, you're going to be that guy.
Defensive End
J.J. Watt (Houston Texans) – 99 Overall
Is anyone really surprised by this? For many, 10.5 sacks would be a lot. For J.J. Watt, it was 10 less than the amount he racked up in 2012. So that's saying something. Clearly the most dominant DE in the league, Watt boasts 99 Power Moves, 98 Block Shedding and 97 Tackling. "If we didn't have a cap on it, Watt might be rated somewhere north of 105 Overall," Donny Moore said of him. Too bad he's wasting his career in Houston.
Robert Quinn (St. Louis Rams) – 97 Overall
Admittedly, I've never heard of Robert Quinn. But apparently he's really good. like 84 Speed, 95 Acceleration and 97 Power Moves good.
Cameron Wake (Miami Dolphins) – 96 Overall
Living in South Florida, there's not much to cheer about when it comes to the Dolphins. The team is a mess, but Cameron Wake is one of the few bright spots. With 97 Finesse Moves and 95 Acceleration, Wake should shine with the new "Jump Snap" mechanics.
Calais Campbell (Arizona Cardinals) – 96 Overall
Campbell isn't the fastest DE in the league. At 300 pounds, you wouldn't expect him to be. But what he lacks in speed, he makes up for elsewhere, like 88 Tackling, 94 Finesse Moves and 92 Pursuit.
Cameron Jordan (New Orleans Saints) – 93 Overall
2013 was a breakout year for Jordan, and it's time his ratings in Madden catch up to his on-the-field play. With that, Jordan has 95 Power Movies and 91 Pursuit.
Muhammad Wilkerson (New York Jets) – 93 Overall
J-E-T-S! JETS JETS JETS! Everyone loves to hate the Jets (usually for good reason), but there's no denying Wilkerson his spot among top DEs in the league. In Madden NFL 15, he has 96 Pursuit, 97 Block Shedding, 96 Tackling and 89 Power Moves.
Admittedly, I don't keep close track on the stats of defensive linemen, so I'm going to go ahead and give ol' Donny Moore a pass with this one. He's free from my scrutiny. I trust him on this one.
