Madden Ratings: Farrell's highest rated Big Ten players
Last week in my Three-Point Stance, I fooled around with some EA Sports NCAA football rankings for current college players after the annual Madden rankings came out. This week, I'll dig a little deeper on that by breaking the top 10 in each conference.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
1. QB JUSTIN FIELDS, Ohio State - 99
Fields will be a Heisman candidate this season as he was last year and he’s living up to the hype he had coming out of high school. He threw for 41 scores and ran for another 10 and is one of only two Big Ten players to get a perfect 99.
2. LB MICAH PARSONS, Penn State - 99
An argument could be made for Parsons to be No. 1 here because he’s so rare and the difference between him and the next linebacker in the country is sizeable. Parsons was all over the field last season with 109 tackles and 14 for a loss. But he also had five sacks, forced four fumbles and defended five passes. And he could play both ways if it was needed.
3. OL WYATT DAVIS, Ohio State - 94
Davis is a road grader and the best pure guard in the country. He led an Ohio State offense that did as it pleased in the run game and passing game and he’s a surefire first-rounder. He’s yet another five-star on this list who has lived up to the hype.
4. WR RASHOD BATEMAN, Minnesota - 91
This is where things get tough but I like Bateman a little more than Rondale Moore. He averaged more than 20 yards per catch and had 1,219 yards receiving with 11 scores sharing targets with Tyler Johnson, who was a fifth round pick in the NFL Draft. Bateman also has better size.
5. WR RONDALE MOORE, Purdue - 90
Moore is one of the most dynamic players in football when healthy as his freshman year showed us. But last year he was injured much of the year. That allowed others like David Bell to step in and become keys to the offense. Moore is capable of putting up eye-popping numbers as a receiver, runner or returner.
6. LB ANTJUAN SIMMONS, Michigan State - 88
Simmons showed in his first year as a starter how special he can be with 90 tackles with 15 for a loss. He’s also very good in coverage. He’s not as long as Parsons or as athletic, but he’s one of the most solid players in the conference.
7. DE GEORGE KARLAFTIS, Purdue - 87
Karlaftis is a beast on defense and had 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss as a true freshman last season. He’s a difference maker who has to be accounted for and this is an impressive rating for such a young end.
8. OL ALARIC JACKSON, Iowa - 87
Tristan Wirfs got a lot of the attention last year for Iowa on the offensive line but Jackson wasn’t far behind when it comes to efficiency. He’s a potential first-rounder if he continues to progress.
9. DE SHAKA TONEY, Penn State - 86
The more I watched Toney, the more I liked his upside especially, as a pass rusher. He had more sacks and tackles for a loss than Jayson Oweh last year and he’s just starting to learn how to explode his hips. He’s going to be a beast to handle this year.
10. CB SHAUN WADE, Ohio State - 86
Wade has good size and was overshadowed by Jeff Okudah last year, but he could be the next first-round defensive back for the Buckeyes. I’m not quite as high on him as some others but he flashes signs of greatness especially playing the ball in the air. His seven pass breakups last year are a good sign for this season as the man.
Others who just missed the cut: Northwestern LB Paddy Fisher, Michigan WR Nico Collins, Wisconsin OL Cole Van Lanen, Ohio State WR Chris Olave, Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth, Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan, Penn State defensive end Jayson Oweh and Wisconsin LB Jack Sanborn.