Madden 21 rankings have been released and there are plenty of former Ohio State players to choose from if you want to start building a team. In fact, there are 57 total players that appear in the new version of Madden.
It is enough to form your own team if you wish, selecting only the old Buckeyes, and we could say that it would be a formidable squad.
We go through all the rankings and select the best option for each position on offense, defense and special teams, all of which did its job in Columbus, Ohio, before moving to the next level.
Here’s your starting NFL team All Ohio State Madden 21.
QB – Dwayne Haskins, Washington Redskins
70
No. 36
Haskins may not be the highest-rated quarterback in Madden due to its high and low season last year, but it will be suitable for video game purposes. Look for him to have a great season in real life football this year.
RB – Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
92
Number 3
This is a no-brainer. You get one of the best runners in the game to carry the rock. Elliott can make a difference for your team’s Madden team and lead him to almost every loss.
Wide Receiver No. 1 – Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
99
No. 1
How about one of the best players in the game to be your No. 1 wide receiver? Thomas has had a better first five years than any other human receiver to play in the NFL and is the highest-rated receiver in Madden. Any deficiencies in having a low-rated QB can be compensated for by pointing to this cheat code abroad.
No. 2 wide receiver – Terry McLaurin, Washington Redskins
82
No. 39
The game is full of many very good wide receivers and McLaurin is not far. It is a bit below Thomas, but he will still open up and still catch. I don’t know if anyone saw McLaurin being so good so early in his career and qualifying has continued.
Wide Receiver No. 3 – Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers
80
No. 48
Samuel could be in the middle of the pack when it comes to ratings on Madden 21, but he has incredible speed with a rating of 95. It will open up, especially as a No. 3 option, he’s just getting me to catch him and make the play from there.
Closed End – Jeff Huermen, Denver Broncos
70
No. 50
The state of Ohio hasn’t really taken out extremely talented tight ends in its history, but Heuerman will be solid, not great for you at Madden 21. With the tools in attack, the tight end won’t be a great staple of this offense anyway. .
Right Tackle – Isaiah Prince, Cincinnati Bengals
60 60
No. 54
Right tackle is a pretty slim position in Madden 21 and Prince is not going to be a rock star for you, but he is useful. You may want to keep things between the tackles and across the left side of the line more on career plays. Then again, you have Ezekiel Elliott, so he can make Prince that offensive line look pretty good.
Right Guard – Jonah Jackson, Detroit Lions
63
No. 44
There are other options at other points on the line, but we are strictly sticking to the position here. It would be nice to connect Pat Elflein here, but he appears as a left guard, making Jackson a rookie. The offensive line could be this team’s weakness, but then again, there are good receivers and a whale on their backs to lean on.
Center – Corey Linsley, Green Bay Packers
78
No. 17
Linsley is a solid choice here and will be more than adequate, pushing and protecting. It is not the best in the game, but it will be one of the strengths of the line that you will be building.
Left tackle – Taylor Decker, Detroit Lions
74
No. 17
The left side of this line looks much better. He’s not going to win any prizes just yet for being one of the best in the game, but he’ll be good enough to get the job done. However, you will definitely want to flip the plays to this side of the line and take advantage of the best skill for more thrust.
Left Guard – Andrew Norwell, Carolina Panthers
83
No. 7
Norwell adds a great touch again to the left side. He may be a bit underrated in the game as a former All-Pro, but he’ll be the best overall player for Zeke to run behind when he really needs yards in a tough spot on the ground.
Left Defensive Winger – Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers
91 91
Number 3
There are multiple defensive ends to choose from, but Joey has been doing better than any for a long time and has the highest rating of any former Buckeye out of bounds. You will like what it brings from the left side in combination with another fantastic ending from the other.
Right Back – Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
90
No. 4
The defensive ends are so good that Heyward takes the place a little above Nick Bosa, and Chase Young does. Heyward won’t give you much edge speed, but he does have the urge to interrupt things on the field with his strength and awareness. If we were forming a squad, we would probably move Heyward inside and unleash young Bosa on the other edge, but then again, we’ll stick with the position designation Madden has assigned.
Defensive Tackle No. 1 – Johnathan Hankins, Las Vegas Raiders
76
No. 36
The interior of this line won’t be as dynamic as the edges, but Hankins has become a more than capable option to swell things in between. It can face blocks and should be pushed against any center in the game.
Defensive Tackle No. 2 – Tyquan Lewis, Indianapolis Colts
71
No. 58
This will be the weak link in the line and you may want to make sure that there are backers and linebackers support during executions. Lewis is not just a warm body, but this is another reason why we try to connect Cameron Heyward in the middle.
Middle Linebacker – Raekwon McMillan, Miami Dolphins
76
No. 22
With McMillan, you get a guy with pretty good speed and acceleration to get into position for tackles. However, it is not going to throw many blocks, so it will have to operate in space.
Linebacker just outside – Malik Harrison, Baltimore Ravens
69
No. 53
While we have come home with the point of sticking to position designations here, we do have to take some liberties by moving a center linebacker by switching to the outer right point. It won’t be great to put a rookie with such a low rating on the outside, so get creative with blitz packs and defensive backup. There simply aren’t many high-end linebackers to choose from, and only three in all.
Left Outside Linebacker – Jerome Baker, Miami Dolphins
74
No. 28
Here’s another case of having to move a middle linebacker by Madden’s appointment to the other outside location. Baker definitely has the speed to roam and make plays, and he should be a strong point on the left side to get the blitz off the edge in most quarterback blinds.
Corner No. 1 – Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints
86
No. 13
We have two fifteen top corners to connect the outside and slow down the sets of opposite passes. That is going to be better than most teams. Lattimore has elite speed, acceleration, and agility in the game and should be able to cover and close almost anything.
Corner No. 2 – Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
86
No. 13
We have two corners of book covers here with the addition of Denzel Ward. You can really mix and match which corner the other team’s No. 1 receiver occupies because they both have elite agility abilities. Ward is a little quicker and quicker, but not as strong with the ball skills in the game. It never hurts to have an All-Pro as one of your erasers on the back.
Free Security – Malik Hooker, Indianapolis Colts
82
No. 14
The game does not give Hooker elite speed, but he is well above average for safety. He is not the strongest, so he will have to be in position and finish without trying to hit the big shot. He has the physical tools and skill in real life, he just hasn’t been able to prove it due to injuries, so the ratings aren’t there yet. At the end of the day, he is another of the top fifteen players to put in the back. You can build a pretty good high school with the old Buckeyes, and that’s not really a surprise.
Strong Security – Malcolm Jenkins, New Orleans Saints
85
No. 7
With Jenkins, you get a smart veteran who is not fast, but who jumps on the ball in-game. It will be in position most of the time, but will not deliver the coup de grace. Surprisingly, the high school has all four boys in the top thirteen at their position. That and the edge runner will be the strength of this defense.
Punter / Kicker – Cameron Johnston, Philadelphia Eagles
69
No. 26
Let’s be realistic here. We are talking about the bettor in a soccer video game, so it is not such an important position and frankly, it is not a great weapon. But yes, we have one and he will do the job. We will take liberties here as well and let him be the kicker instead because there is no one to choose at this time.
Returning Kick – Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers
80
No. 48
Samuel is already one of our wide receivers and he’s also the Ohio state’s fastest former player at Madden 21, with a rating of 95. He also has a 93 rating for acceleration and those are two of the best traits to have when a dynamic man of return is sought.
