The 2020 NFL season is still more than a month away and there's still a bit of uncertainty surrounding the preseason and camp. For the New England Patriots, this means they might have to wait a bit longer before they finally see what the team will look like on the field with Cam Newton coming into to replace living legend Tom Brady.
In August, fans will already get to see Newton and the Pats play football, albeit virtually. EA will be releasing its yearly football sim in the coming month and before we get our hands on the game, let's take a look at the released ratings and see who are the 10 highest rated New England Patriots players in Madden 21.
10. Patrick Chung, SS
Previous rating: 82, Madden 21 rating: 83
Starting off the list is 12-year veteran safety Patrick Chung. Not the biggest and brightest name, but still one of the Patriots' most consistent defenders. During his current and second stint with New England, Chung has only missed five games in the past six seasons while averaging over 50 tackles per season.
9. Jonathan Jones, CB
Previous rating: 76, Madden 21 rating: 83
At number nine is New England's emerging corner Jonathan Jones. Jones' lighting speed has earned him more playing time and starts every year of his career and it's starting to show in his Madden rating. Easily the biggest jump by a Pats player this year, his 38 solo tackles and two forced fumbles last year hasn't gone unnoticed.
Jones was was key defender for New England during the 2018 AFC Championship game against fellow speedster Tyreek Hill and the Kansas City Chiefs. The cornerback shut down his counterpart and that led to a win and an eventual Super Bowl win.
8. David Andrews, C
Previous rating: 84, Madden 21 rating: 84
The leader of New England's offensive line is coming off a season where he didn't play much due to a medical condition that had him placed on injured reserve. There's no surprise that he gets to keep his rating because last time we saw him at full strength, he was still keeping defenders away from Tom Brady and helping lead the Pats to another Lombardi Trophy in the process.
7. Joe Thuney, LG
Previous rating: 84, Madden 21 rating: 85
Newly franchise-tagged Joe Thuney and the second member of the offensive line comes in at number seven on the list. Again, another no brainer here as Thuney was one of the main reasons Brady and the Patriots were able to make it to three straight Bowls from 2016 through 2018. In Super Bowl LIII, Thuney's main matchup was Los Angeles Rams' star Aaron Donald and did a near perfect job containing the back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year.
6. Jason McCourty, CB
Previous rating: 85, Madden 21 rating: 85
One of the McCourty twins, Jason did miss four games last season and was a bit off his usual pace, but he still deserves the 85 rating. The former sixth round pick came over in 2018 and immediately made a difference in New England's secondary providing both consistent tackling and great hands.
5. Shaq Mason, RG
Previous rating: 86, Madden 21 rating: 86
The highest rated and final member of the offensive line on our list, Shaq Mason just makes it into the top five. One of the highest- rated linemen in the league, Shaq provides unreal athleticism opposite Joe Thuney and will be even more valuable this year for a New England offense that will be accommodating Cam Newton's play style.
4. Julian Edelman, WR
Previous rating: 89, Madden 21 rating: 87
Speaking of Newton, the potential starter will still have Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman as his top weapon this coming season. Although he did career high in receiving yards last year, Jules is entering his 12th year and we did see a lot of drops from him the past season. Still, Edelman is a quality number one receiver and maybe he can provide the same comfort TE Greg Olsen did for Cam during the former MVP's time in Carolina.
3. Dont'a Hightower, MLB
Previous rating: 83, Madden 21 rating: 88
After an injury-plagued 2017 season and a slow return in 2018, the Patriots All-Pro linebacker had one hell of a bounce back year in 2019. He had his highest total combined tackles since 2014 and almost tied his career high in sacks but only missed it by a fraction with 5.5 QB takedowns last season. The five point jump is just right.
2. Devin McCourty, FS
Previous rating: 89, Madden 21 rating: 92
The other leader of New England's defense, safety Devin McCourtry was his ever reliable self in 2019 playing and starting in all 16 games while having good performances all-year round. His jump into the 90's mainly comes from the extra turnovers he forced the past year which included five interceptions, the most he's had since 2012, and two forced fumbles.
1. Stephon Gilmore, CB
Previous rating: 94, Madden 21 rating: 99
And of course, 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Stephen Gilmore claims the top spot for the Pats in this year's installment of Madden, even breaking into the prestigious “99 Club” for the first time. Gilmore has had back-to-back monster season in New England and last year he led the league in both pass deflections and interceptions. It's safe to say that the superstar corner deserves both the DPOY award and the 99 rating.
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