'Madden NFL 25' reveal: Grading overall ratings for top 10 wide receivers, safeties

A rundown of the highest-ranked players

by · CBS Sports

"Madden NFL 25" is coming soon. And now we have a taste of the game's player ratings, with Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill revealed as the first member of this year's "99 Club."

Which players will join Hill as the top-rated wide receivers in "Madden 25"? And how about the safeties tasked with covering such explosive pass catchers? Below, we've got a full rundown of the top 10 overall-rated players at both positions in "Madden NFL 25," plus our reaction to the ratings:

Top 10 WRs

PlayerTeamRatingOur Grade
Tyreek HillDolphins99Just Right
Justin JeffersonVikings98Too Low
CeeDee LambCowboys96Just Right
A.J. BrownEagles95Just Right
Amon-Ra St. BrownLions95Just Right
Davante AdamsRaiders94Just Right
Ja'Marr ChaseBengals93Too Low
Stefon DiggsTexans92Just Right
Brandon Aiyuk49ers91Too High
Mike EvansBuccaneers91Just Right

Hill may not be a full tier above guys like Brown and Chase as the ratings suggest, but he deserves the "99" for his unmatched speed alone; no one can fly downfield like he does, even at 30. Jefferson has consistently been the NFL's top play-maker when healthy, so it's odd he doesn't share the "99" designation. Chase drawing a "93" feels like maybe the biggest slight, considering he's nearly matched Jefferson in big-play splash when fully healthy. Aiyuk, meanwhile, could arguably use another year of All-Pro production to be squarely affixed in the elite category.

Top 10 safeties

PlayerTeamRatingOur Grade
Jessie Bates IIIFalcons97Too High
Antoine Winfield Jr.Buccaneers94Too Low
Minkah FitzpatrickSteelers93Just Right
Derwin James Jr.Chargers91Just Right
Tyrann MathieuSaints91Too High
Budda BakerCardinals90Too High
Kevin Byard IIIBears89Too High
Kyle HamiltonRavens89Too Low
Talanoa Hufanga49ers88Just Right
Jevon HollandDolphins88Too High

Contrary to wide receiver, which feels especially indebted to today's young and emerging stars, the safety group here plays like a who's who of yesteryear. Mathieu, Baker and Byard have all been top-shelf defenders at different points in their career, but injuries and inconsistencies have plagued them more recently; their names currently feel a bit bigger than their on-field results. It's astounding, actually, that Hamilton isn't clocking in ahead of them after a do-it-all breakout at the heart of the Ravens' elite defense. Winfield, meanwhile, has arguably been just as dominant patrolling the back end as Bates.