Madden 16: Release Date and Breaking Down Star Player Ratings

We're less than a month away from the release of Madden 16. The game will be available at retail outlets on Aug. 25 on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

EA Sports has revealed many of the features, but the latter part of July and first week of August have been all about player ratings. We've learned who the top 10 rookies are in the game as well as the top five stars at each position. You can see all of the ratings at EASports.com.

Beast Mode

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New screenshot of Marshawn Lynch in Madden NFL 16 pic.twitter.com/Kvb952WPDe

— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) July 22, 2015"

There are great running backs in Madden 16, but when the game releases, the Seattle Seahawks' Marshawn Lynch will be the best of them all.

At a 96 overall, Lynch has what it takes to anchor any run game. His stiff-arm rating of 99 will make for a devastating weapon. The 98 trucking, 89 strength and somewhat-generous 89 juke-move rating will make Lynch a handful.

Whether you're running with Seattle, playing Ultimate Team, Draft Champions or doing a fantasy draft in a Connected Franchise, Lynch is an MVP-level player in Madden.

Rodgers Is Top-Dog

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#Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is the top rated QB in #Madden16 — http://t.co/fmwFB3PZf9 pic.twitter.com/KRKSr4OYw2

— Milwaukee (@SunTimesMIL) July 22, 2015"

You can't get any better than the rating Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers received. Rodgers' 95 throw power is extraordinary, but what makes him especially dangerous on the deep ball is his accuracy down the field.

With a league-best 80 rating in deep accuracy, no passer can do more damage with big plays. When you also consider Rodgers' 98 play-action rating and 88 "throw on the run" rating, he'll be a major threat whether he's in or out of the pocket.

99 Watt

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Playing with JJ Watt in Madden 16 is basically like playing with an actual monster. http://t.co/sRwDJgqwDt pic.twitter.com/nI1hPH66qu

— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) July 30, 2015"

The most dominant defensive player in the real NFL is the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt. Thus, it's only right that Watt be the only defensive player in Madden 16 with a 99 overall rating. He's so good that graphic artist extraordinaire Matt Steller chose Watt to represent the Texans in his series of custom covers:

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Custom @JJWatt #Madden16Cover #Texans #JJSwatt pic.twitter.com/pc5g62MUMj

— Matt Steller (@StellerCovers) July 14, 2015"

Watt has a 99 power-move rating to go with a 98 pursuit, 97 strength, 97 tackle and 97 block-shedding mark. It's almost impossible to make a more complete and ferocious force on the line of scrimmage and behind it.

The only dilemma gamers who control the Texans should have is whether to take control of Watt or to allow the CPU to run roughshod with the future Hall of Famer.

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