Madden ratings: 5 players who were snubbed from the Madden 99 club
Fletcher Cox
Donald is the best defensive player in the NFL, and it isn’t even close. They should really make a special rating for him, because it’d be impossible for anyone else to get a 99 rating if they use him as the measuring stick instead of letting the standard be the rating itself.
The second-best defensive tackle in the NFL is Fletcher Cox, and he’s also a future Hall of Famer in his own right. Cox had a whopping 34 QB hits last season, and there may not be a scarier pure pass rusher from the 4-3 defensive tackle position. With his ridiculous first-step and unreal power, Cox either collapses pockets or simply blows by interior offensive linemen without them having a single prayer at stopping him.
Cox, per Pro Football Focus, had the NFL’s highest pressure rate on stunts last season and was second in total pressures at the position. It’s safe to assume that Donald was first.
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On top of that, Cox is a solid run defender, who, per PFF, was 10th in defensive stops at the position. Of course, Cox makes his name off of destroying a passing game’s rhythm, and the 28-year-old has put up some crazy numbers to back that up. A total of 34 QB hits and 10.5 sacks at the defensive tackle position is a rarity, yet it feels like Cox still somehow flies under the radar despite being the best defensive player on the 2017 season’s Super Bowl champions.