Predicting the 32 Highest Rated Players in Madden 12

One of the sweetest parts of the lockout ending has got to be the added bonus that Madden 12 comes in roughly one month.

On August 30th, fans can finally unleash themselves in the virtual football world once again on the most up-to-date version of the hit video game series named for John Madden.

And as has become tradition, there is almost as much anticipation attached to the player ratings in the game as there is to the rest of the game itself.

Though the ratings are updated constantly from the start of the season to the end, the initial ratings are a report card from the previous season.

So who were the very best? Well, it's always impossible to be exact. Even when we do see them, there will be a significant number of people who disagree.

Still, why not make some early predictions? So, without further ado, the top 32.

No. 32: Rob Bironas, Kicker

Why not start the list with a kicker? It won't be the most popular decision, but there's a always a kicker or two who gets the high rating.

The Tennessee Titans kicker was as close to automatic as it gets.

From 40-49 yards, he was a perfect 8-8.

And from 50+ yards, he was still 2-3, which is very impressive.

No. 31: Ndamukong Suh, Defensive Tackle

The Lions are on their way up. And Suh represents this rise. After only one year in the league and he'll be a highly valued commodity in Madden.

Not that he doesn't deserve it, as one of the most menacing interior linemen last season, with double digit sacks.

No. 30: Ray Lewis, Middle Linebacker

Almost unbelievable that more than a decade into his career and Ray Lewis could still make this list.

Yet he continues to be a tackling machine.

He will get a significant boost from his "awareness" rating. And his speed will cost him, but he could still get on here one more time.

No. 29: Kyle Williams, Defensive Tackle

The defensive tackle was one of the (if not the only) bright spot on the Bills defense last year.

Consistently occupied more than one blocker and held his own.

Despite his inability to help the Bills stop the run in short yardage, Williams probably can't be blamed for that since one player can't be expected to make every block.

No. 28: Jordan Gross, Left Tackle

Like Williams in the previous slide, Gross can't be held to the standard put forward by his team as a whole.

He's a quality player who's proven it consistently.

Cam Newton will consider himself lucky to have such a gifted blocker watching his blindside, though Newton will still have one or two other things to worry about.

No. 27: Miles Austin, Wide Receiver

Even though his primary quarterback, Tony Romo, missed a large chunk of the season, Austin still reeled in more than 1000 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.

Yet I think Austin is far better than his numbers indicate. He's clearly the guy Dallas goes to in clutch time.

No. 26: Dallas Clark, Tight End

This could be seen a controversial, since Clark missed most of last season.

Yet I think he can get the benefit of the doubt, at least for one season.

Nobody can question the very likely prospect that if he plays at least 13 games this season, he'll collect 75 catches.

It's almost just playing on habit, but either way he's good for a solid season with Peyton Manning. The Colts offense is due for a big year.

No. 25: Chris Snee, Guard

The Giants' Snee is one of the most reliable guards in the NFL.

Season after season, he helps New York's running game be one of the best in the NFL.

It's about time he gets some credit for that.

No. 24: Phillip Rivers, Quarterback

You could make the case that he deserves to be higher on this list, but either way, he does belong on here.

Passing for more than 4,700 yards and tossing 30 touchdowns is impressive in any league.

Now he just needs to win something and he can vault to a high 90's rating (until then I'd say a 94 or 95.)

No. 23: Vonta Leach, Fullback

There's always a fullback in here. So why not make it one of the most awesome blockers in the league?

Leach was a one-man bulldozer for Arian Foster last season, crushing opposing linebackers out of the way.

If you need one yard in a fourth and goal situation, Leach leads the way. Hands down.

No. 22: Adrian Peterson, Running Back

He has to be on here. I don't care how much the Vikings might have struggled last season.

Undoubtedly one of the most athletic players in football today. Period.

No. 21: Greg Jennings, Wide Receiver

Ever since his famous youtube clip where he ran with a broken leg in Madden, he's become one of my favorites.

Yet Jennings does his best work in the real world of football, where he notched over 1200 yards and had 12 touchdowns.

He also had one of the highest tallies of 20+ yard catches in the league last year, indicating his ability to be a big-play threat.

No. 20: Michael Turner, Running Back

Burner Michael Turner is usually underrated in Madden, and honestly I think that trend will continue.

He's extremely reliable in terms of yardage on every play. He won't generally get caught behind the line, a forgotten skill.

But he will be rated highly in Madden, thanks in large part to his 1371 rushing yards last year, a tremendous total.

No. 19: Charles Woodson, Cornerback

The defending Super Bowl champ usually gets a couple of guys with high ratings.

Woodson deserves this though. He's one of the most versatile players at his position in the league. Not to mention his ability to still cover.

No. 18: Antonio Gates, Tight End

He was pretty banged up for a number of games last year. Still, he managed to collect ten touchdowns and an impressive 782 yards receiving in only ten games.

Gates might have killed my fantasy team with injuries, but when healthy he was a golden ticket.

He'll still be a Madden cheat code.

No. 17: Drew Brees, Quarterback

I know, he's not supposed to be this low on the list. But he did have the typical "Super Bowl hangover" type year.

He threw 22 interceptions and made some questionable decisions in games against teams like the Falcons, their division rival.

Still, he had periods of absolutely divine play and is still one of the league's best QB's.

No. 16: Dwight Freeney, Defensive End

One of the few players in the NFL who is almost a lock for double digit sacks every season.

Freeney will no doubt prosper once again from the optimal conditions of playing in a dome, but his quickness would do well anywhere.

The pride of Hartford will surely have another monster season, especially if Indi can improve their pass coverage.

No. 15: Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver

Continuing with the Colts trend, Wayne gets to be on here if for no other reason than the fact that he was Peyton Manning's only target for a period of games last year. Jacob Tamme might have done a good job stepping up, but Wayne carried the heavy burden.

He got open even when everyone in the stadium knew it was going to him.

The Miami grad continues to amaze me.

No. 14: Haloti Ngata, Defensive End/Tackle

If there was a list of "scariest" players, Ngata would be in the top 3.

Still, he gets onto the Madden list because of his freakish athleticism and domination of opposing defensive lines.

The Ravens are lucky he wasn't able to hit the open market, the bidding war for him would have been massive.

No. 13: Cameron Wake, Defensive End

Usually Madden doesn't reward someone with a breakthrough rating until they have a few amazing seasons in a row, but Wake had a truly great season last year.

Considering he plays against two of the best offensive lines in the league in 25% of his games, 14 sacks is a fine accomplishment.

No. 12: Chris Johnson, Running Back

He will continue to be one of the most coveted players in the game since I see no reason why they will have downgraded his speed.

Like in real life, speed is a rating that probably has slight over-emphasis attached to it.

Yet at 99, Johnson's speed rating is pretty good.

No. 11: Clay Matthews and Tamba Hali, Linebacker/Defensive End

Both had banner years last year. And both were central to their teams' success on defense.

If I was doing a fantasy draft with my friends and got a middle-round pick, I'd think about one of these two.

They're young and very talented.

No. 10: Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu, Safeties

Still the two best at their positions in the league. They were one/two in interceptions in 2010.

And each had injury problems that they overcame.

Playing for rival teams just makes this an even better scenario.

No. 9: Andre Johnson and Roddy White, Wide Receivers

These are the second tier wide receivers. But in 99% of the cases, I'd take these "second tier" players over everyone else.

Each has made their opponents truly fear defending against their size, speed and toughness.

And each can take an underneath crossing route to the house.

No. 8: Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger, QB's

Another "second tier" group. And another group that includes players who I would take in a second if I were building a team.

Each of these guys will be rated somewhere in the 94-98 range.

Rodgers and Big Ben probably get a slight edge because of their relative youth, but no one's betting against both Brees and Manning to last for a number of years at the very top still.

No. 7: Jahri Evans, Logan Mankins, Guards

Both of these guys will get high-90's ratings and will be the top rated guards in the league.

They're key pieces to their respective teams, who are dominant forces in their divisions.

Each can run block and protect the quarterback and are the class of their position.

No. 6: Nnamdi Asomugha and Darrelle Revis, Cornerbacks

The scary thing is the rumor is floating around that they could be teammates.

And they're both the best at their position in the league. Great man-to-man coverage skills and athletic ability.

They can also tackle much better than an average CB. In Madden, good cornerbacks are like gold.

No. 5: Larry Fitzgerald, Wide Receiver

He's the best wide receiver in the game in my opinion.

Last year proved it beyond a doubt.

With a slew of mediocre to straight bad quarterbacks, Fitz still found a way to chalk up 90 catches and over 1100 yards.

And remember that Anquan Boldin was traded, so he saw the double coverage a lot more often.

No. 4: Jamaal Charles and Arian Foster, Running Backs

The top two running backs in Madden 12, hands down. Each had a phenomenal year in 2010 and each possesses great skills for Madden.

Charles is one of the most explosive players in the league and can catch.

Foster is a big guy who can run through tackles, yet possesses very good quickness.

Each will have a great rating in the upper 90's.

No. 3: Joe Thomas, Jake Long, Left Tackles

Having the left tackle is probably one of the most important things in creating a football team.

And these two are as good as they come. Each is young and extremely gifted.

They might not be overly glamorous, but they will receive great ratings this year.

No. 2: DeMarcus Ware, Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, Linebackers

Between them, these three will receive 99's.

They're the best defensive players in the game because they're the best combination of size, speed and hitting power.

Madden loves to give middle linebackers a 99 rating.

And as for Ware, how couldn't you give him the 99? He's a sack machine.

No. 1: Tom Brady, Quarterback

He's in his own class for Madden 12.

And how could he not be after the kind of season he just had?

36 touchdowns and only four interceptions. No 14. Four.

Especially when you consider that the Patriots elected to trade Randy Moss and Brady only got better, than it becomes clear just how masterful he was.

If they made 100's, Tom Brady would be it. Should anyone be lucky enough to get first pick in a Madden fantasy draft, this is your guy.