Madden 16: Elite Player Ratings and EA Access Release Date

While Madden NFL 16 officially releases in retail outlets on August 25 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, owners of the latter console will have a chance to play the game early.  

Subscribers to the Xbox One exclusive subscription service EA Access can download Madden 16 as soon as August 20 for an early preview, per EA (h/t Samit Sarkar of Polygon.com). Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg made the original announcement about the game's availability on the service a few months back via Twitter:

The service allows subscribers to play newly released EA Sports titles five days before they hit stores.

PlayStation and last-generation Xbox owners will have to wait to take the game for a spin. When you do get your chance to play, there are a handful of dynamic players to control. There's a total of 18 players rated above 95 overall in the game.

Here's a look at all of them:

Player	Team	Position	Rating
Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers	QB	99
J.J. Watt	Houston Texans	DE	99
Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	TE	99
Marshal Yanda	Baltimore Ravens	G	98
Richard Sherman	Seattle Seahawks	CB	97
Darrelle Revis	New York Jets	CB	97
Tom Brady	New England Patriots	QB	97
Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	WR	97
Josh Sitton	Green Bay Packers	G	97
Von Miller	Denver Broncos	OLB	97
Justin Houston	Kansas City Chiefs	OLB	97
Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	RB	96
Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	WR	96
Jason Peters	Philadelphia Eagles	OT	96
Luke Kuechly	Carolina Panthers	MLB	96
Muhammad Wilkerson	New York Jets	DE	96
Ndamukong Suh	Miami Dolphins	DT	96
Eric Weddle	San Diego Chargers	S	96

Rodgers, Gronk and Watt Lead the Way

"

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

— Milwaukee (@SunTimesMIL) July 22, 2015"

The only players who will be rated a 99 overall when the game releases are the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt, the New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski and the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers. It's hard to argue with the mark for Watt or Rodgers.

Watt is easily the most dominant defensive player in the NFL. The 26-year-old freak of nature has 61.5 sacks in the last three seasons. It's no wonder Watt earned the following ratings: 99 Power Move, 98 Pursuit, 97 Strength, 97 Tackle and 97 Block Shedding. There is no other pass-rusher on his level in the NFL.

Rodgers seems to have no weaknesses as a quarterback. The reigning NFL MVP reads defenses, has a cannon for an arm, he's mobile when healthy, throws the ball accurately and he has all the intangibles you hope for from a signal-caller.

Rodgers' 95 Throw Power rating is impressive, but the two marks that will make him most deadly in Madden 16 are his 88 Throw on the Run and 80 Deep-Throw Accuracy. The latter is tops in the league.

Gronkowski is one of the toughest covers in the NFL—at receiver or tight end. He's big (6'6", 265 lbs), fast, nasty and has excellent hands. That makes for an elite pass-catching tight end.

With his 94 Spectacular Catch, 98 Catch in Traffic and 95 Release, few players—if any—will be a more dependable target when you need a first down.

Packers, Patriots, Seahawks and...Jets?

If someone told you the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers were among the only four teams to have two players with ratings of 96 and above, you probably wouldn't be surprised.

Chances are when you found out the New York Jets were the other team that holds that distinction, it might result in raised eyebrows.

Thanks to Muhammad Wilkerson and Darrelle Revis, the Jets have two elite players on their defense. If quarterback Geno Smith doesn't have a breakout season, the Gang Green defense will need to be elite to have a chance to win football games—virtually and in reality.

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Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter.