Madden NFL 16 Player Ratings: Top 5 MLB and OL Revealed

Madden 16 released its top-five rankings for middle linebackers and offensive lineman on Monday, and some big names highlighted each list.

Let's start with the middle linebackers.

Rank	Player	Team	Overall Rating	Key Stat Ratings
1	Luke Kuechly	Carolina Panthers	96	99 Pursuit, 98 Tackle, 85 Zone Coverage, 70 Man Coverage, 72 Catch and 98 Play Recognition
2	NaVorro Bowman	San Francisco 49ers	93	97 Tackle, 96 Pursuit, 92 Block Shedding, 88 Play Recognition, 82 Zone Coverage, 73 Man Coverage
3	Bobby Wagner	Seattle Seahakws	92	97 Tackle, 96 Pursuit, 90 Play Recognition, 85 Zone Coverage, 70 Man Coverage
4	Clay Matthews	Green Bay Packers	90	96 Pursuit, 90 Tackle, 88 Play Recognition, 75 Zone Coverage, 65 Man Coverage
5	Daryl Smith	Baltimore Ravens	90	92 Tackle, 92 Pursuit, 95 Play Recognition, 84 Zone Coverage and 69 Man Coverage

This is an interesting list. So dominant has Luke Kuechly become, for instance, that he almost feels a little underrated at 96 despite being the top linebacker in the game. All he's done in three NFL seasons, after all, is accumulate a whopping 473 tackles to go along with six sacks, four fumble recoveries, seven interceptions and 26 pass deflections. 

Few players have a bigger impact on the game defensively than Kuechly does for Carolina. 

Clay Matthews being listed as a middle linebacker in this year's edition of Madden is also interesting. Matthews was thrust in middle linebacker duty last year and played quite well in the role, and it looks as though he may be asked to play both inside and outside again this year.

"I'll still rush the passer and I'll still get after the quarterback, but maybe I'll do it from the inside this time and drop into coverage other times," he told Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin in late May. "I think what you saw last year might be an indication of what you'll see this year. We'll always have something up our sleeve."

For Madden players, that means Matthews will be effective both as a middle linebacker and an outside linebacker, making him one of the more versatile defenders to utilize in the game (especially for players who love to do the fantasy draft and build their own team). 

But football is won in the trenches, which brings us to the offensive lineman. 

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Overall Rating	Key Stat Ratings
1	Marshal Yanda	OG	Baltimore Ravens	98	99 Run Blocking, 90 Pass Blocking, 94 Strength
2	Josh Sitton	OG	Green Bay Packers	97	96 Pass Blocking, 88 Run Blocking
3	Jason Peters	OT	Philadelphia Eagles	96	98 Strength, 97 Pass Blocking, 96 Run Blocking
4	Nick Mangold	C	New York Jets	95	91 Strength, 93 Run Blocking, 90 Pass Blocking
5	Andrew Whitworth	OT	Cincinnati Bengals	95	94 Strength, 98 Pass Blocking, 89 Run Blocking

There aren't too many surprises among the offensive lineman, though the fact that Joe Thomas—an eight-time Pro Bowler, who has been voted to the game in every one of his NFL seasons, and five-time Associated Press first-team All-Pro—isn't a bit higher in the ratings is a bit surprising. 

Also, if Evan Mathis remains unsigned before Madden's release this year, well, you can bet every player starting a franchise will make signing the veteran guard their first priority given his high rating.