EA Sports' Madden franchise continues to churn out new games each year, and the player rankings tend to be a big reveal each offseason. This year was no different.
The highest-rated players for the Dolphins this season are not a surprise. Tyreek Hill is the best with a 95 rating, followed by Minkah Fitzpatrick at 92 and Jaylen Waddle at 85. While Fitzpatrick's score is a bit higher than most might have expected, the ranking for Storm Duck is outright atrocious.
Duck, who has shown that he is ready to take the next step in his career, is rated far lower than expected. It makes you wonder who is paying attention to what is going on with NFL teams.
Madden NFL 26 doesn't see Storm Duck as a viable cornerback for the Dolphins.
We can chalk this up as an "it's just a video game" ranking. It carries as much weight as an NFL power ranking. What is interesting, though, is that Duck showed a lot of potential and promise in 2024. He started several games and entered this offseason as the odds-on favorite to start on the boundary, which he is doing.
EA Sports disagrees, at least in the 63 rating he received. Ethan Bonner (67), rookie Jason Marshall (69), and even Cam Smith (69) are ranked above him. We get the Jack Jones, Mike Hilton, and Kader Kohou ranks, but Smith?
Frankly, this is a bit surprising, and I would think the game developers will move Duck up the list when they start rolling out updates as the season draws closer.
For those wondering, Tua Tagovailoa comes in at the eighth position. That puts him behind Zach Sieler, De'Von Achane, and Jaelan Phillips. Still, in another incredibly weird ranking, Darren Waller, who missed all of training camp and spent 2024 retired, is given the same 82 rating that Phillips and Tagovailoa were given.
Most Dolphins fans knew the ranking was never going to be higher, but we did think it would be better than Smith's.