Madden 16 releases four finalists for this year’s cover

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy with Super Bowl MVP New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) after winning Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy with Super Bowl MVP New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) after winning Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Four finalists have been chosen to be featured on the cover of Madden 16.


With the NFL Draft in the rear-view mirror and training camps not beginning for about two and a half months NFL fans will have a lot of time on their hands until the season starts.

Well, let me rephrase that, they’ll have a lot of time on their hands until Madden 16 is released later this summer.

On Monday, EA Sports released the four finalists who are in the running to be featured on the cover of the iconic video game.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown and Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson are the nominees.

Pretty great group of players to choose from, right?

Gronkowski is the best tight end in the NFL, Beckham won the Offensive Rookie of the Year, Brown led the NFL in receptions with 129 and in yards with 1,698 and Peterson is one of the three of four best cornerbacks in the league.

However, I think this easily turns into a two-man race between “Gronk” and “ODB” because of their widespread appeal and popularity.

Brown is a better receiver than Beckham is today but he doesn’t have the national appeal and recognition that Beckham has after his rookie season when he made the Pro Bowl and made the catch of the year. How many NFL die-hard’s would even be able to identify Brown as the league leader in receptions and yards? They’d probably guess Dez Bryant, Calvin Johnson or Julio Jones before they got to Brown.

The same reasoning goes into Peterson getting slighted because as great of a cornerback as the former LSU standout is, he’s not going to bring in the votes like his offensive counterparts. This isn’t Richard Sherman who is known for his trash talk as he is for his ability to shutdown opposing receivers.

So this vote is going to come down to Gronkowski and Beckham in my opinion and I think the betting favorite is Gronkowski, but who do you think will grace the cover of Madden this year?

You can vote here and let your voice be heard.

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