NY Jets: 4 players who should have a higher Madden rating this year

These four NY Jets players should be rated higher in Madden 21 than they were in the previous game.

The NY Jets haven’t exactly found the most success on the field over the past decade or so. And when your favorite team isn’t getting it done in reality, fans will oftentimes shift their attention to the world of fantasy to satisfy their hunger for success.

The Madden video game series is that outlet for a select portion of Jets fans.

While the series has been criticized for its limited advancements and tone-deaf additions, football fans can’t help but get excited when a new game is released each year.

And with the official release of the Madden 21 trailer now in the rear-view mirror, excitement has begun to build up once again.

Aside from the questionable gameplay, a common criticism of the Madden series comes with the ratings they assign to certain players. It’s often a fun discussion point to talk about which players deserve higher ratings and which may be a bit overrated.

Today, we’ll be focusing more on the former.

For the sake of this article, we’ll be taking a look at certain Jets players who may have been underrated by Madden using the final roster update that EA has released.

Keep in mind, many of these players’ ratings probably changed throughout the year. Regardless, they should receive a boost upon the release of this year’s game.

With that, let’s take a look at four Jets who should have higher ratings in Madden 21 than they did in Madden 20.

Next: 4. Arthur Maulet

4. Arthur Maulet, CB, NY Jets

We start off with a lesser-known member of the Jets roster in reserve cornerback Arthur Maulet. Now, it’s fair to assume that the average football fan may not be aware of who Maulet is and that likely contributed to his poor rating in Madden 20.

But by the season’s end, it’s safe to say that Maulet had vastly outplayed his measly 63 overall rating.

For context’s sake, that rating places him in the bottom-10 of all players on the Jets roster behind guys like Jalin Moore, Blake Countess, and Paul Worrilow.

Anyone who watched the Jets last season can tell you how ridiculous that is.

Maulet was by no means a superstar in 2019, but he stepped into a starting role following injuries to the likes of Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts and he played quite well down the stretch.

In fact, Maulet earned a very respectable 65.2 Pro Football Focus grade ranking him 56th out of all cornerbacks in the NFL. Considering the fact that there are 64 starting outside cornerbacks in the NFL, that means he played at a starting-caliber level.

Despite this, Maulet was still rated as one of the worst players on the Jets behind players who received pretty much no playing time.

Going into this season, Maulet should certainly be rated higher.

Next: 3. Neville Hewitt

3. Neville Hewitt, LB, NY Jets

Much like Maulet, Neville Hewitt was forced into action following multiple key injuries at the linebacker position. And he quickly found a home in the middle of the Jets’ defense.

Hewitt would start all 12 games he played in 2019 finishing second on the team with 75 tackles and racking up three sacks as well. While he certainly has his share of deficiencies as a player, he absolutely outplayed his Madden rating.

The former Miami Dolphins special teams ace was given just a 65 overall rating by the final roster update essentially insisting that he’s nothing more than a third-string option. Simply put, that just isn’t true.

Hewitt is never going to be a starting-caliber, three-down linebacker. He struggles in coverage and doesn’t have the athleticism needed to be a modern-day starting linebacker.

But as an early-down run-stuffer, Hewitt is quite effective. Not to mention that he’s one of the Jets’ most valuable special-teams players.

A 65 overall rating should be given to a roster bubble guy, not a team’s top reserve linebacker who has half his salary guaranteed in 2020. Consider the fact that fellow reserve linebacker Albert McClellan finished the season with a 67 overall rating — two points higher than Hewitt.

McClellan played just five games last season and was essentially the team’s fifth or sixth option at linebacker, well behind Hewitt on the depth chart. In what world does it make sense that he’s rated higher?

Only in the world of Madden 20 and here’s to hoping that Hewitt is given a little more respect in Madden 21.

Next: 2. Folorunso Fatukasi

2. Folorunso Fatukasi, DL, NY Jets

Madden should be forgiven for giving Folorunso Fatukasi a low rating to begin the year. After all, the former UConn star wasn’t even a lock to make the roster after an uneventful rookie season that saw him suit up in just one game.

But it soon became apparent that Fatukasi wasn’t the player Jets fans thought he was. And by the end of the season, the Far Rockaway native was arguably the team’s best defensive lineman.

For that reason, it’s staggering to see just how low Fatukasi was rated as of the final roster update which came out well after the Jets’ season had ended.

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Fatukasi was given a measly 72 overall rating tied with the likes of Ryan Kalil and Brandon Copeland. And anyone who saw Kalil and Fatukasi play last season will tell you how embarrassing that is.

What’s more is the fact that Trumaine Johnson of all players was actually rated higher than Fatukasi at a 73 overall. It’s hard to fathom how the Madden developers arrived at that conclusion, but it’s sadly the case.

While his numbers won’t jump off the stat sheet, Fatukasi finished the year as one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL earning a stellar 81.5 Pro Football Focus grade ranking him top-10 at his position.

That includes 3-4 defensive ends, 4-3 defensive tackles, and true nose tackles. And Fatukasi ranked in the top-10 of all of the players at each of those positions. Yet, he was rated worse than Trumaine Johnson.

Somebody explain that, please.

Forget comparisons, there’s no reason why Fatukasi shouldn’t at least be ranked close to or in the low-80s when Madden 21 is officially released.

Next: 1. Brian Poole

1. Brian Poole, CB, NY Jets

The Jets’ secondary surprised in many ways last season after being seen as arguably the team’s biggest weakness going into the year. And the driving force behind that surprise was slot cornerback Brian Poole.

Poole was signed by the Jets in the 2019 offseason to little fanfare on a measly one-year, $3 million deal. And now with the benefit of hindsight, it’s safe to say that he vastly outplayed his contract.

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The 27-year-old finished with a superb 79.0 Pro Football Focus grade which ranked him as the No. 9 cornerback in the entire NFL. You could make the case that Poole was the league’s best slot cornerback in 2019.

And yet, much like the others on this list, Madden just didn’t seem to take notice.

Poole was given just a 79 overall rating by the time of the last roster update — a stunningly low rating for one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks last season. Going back to the comparison argument for a second, that’s the same grade that was given to middling guard Brian Winters.

It’s like they’re not even trying at this point.

Poole’s rating should be bumped up to at least the low-to-mid 80s in Madden 21 and if he could put together another excellent season in 2020, then we could even begin to discuss a rating in the 90s come the following year.

But a 79? That’s just baffling.