It’s that time of year where Electronic Arts decides to drop its annual player rankings for its Madden franchise. As such, the rankings make for all sorts of debate and content, and it only makes sense to take a deep dive and react to what everyone thinks of the Bills’ skill players.
For this edition, we’ll take a look at how EA rated stud wideout Stefon Diggs.
Stefon Diggs (95)
Bills Mafia loves itself some Stefon Diggs, and it appears the rest of the league is in agreement.
Diggs’ 96 Madden rating is fifth among all wide receivers, only trailing Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill, and DeAndre Hopkins in respectful order. He’s one spot ahead of Justin Jefferson (93), which I thought was a surprise considering the former’s higher totals in yardage.
Another surprise comes from Madden being that much higher on Diggs than Deebo Samuel (89) and Ja’Marr Chase (87) considering the All-Pro caliber years those two players had. Reacting to those ratings is for another time, but there are good reasons for why Diggs is that high.
First, Diggs is arguably the league’s best route runner. He runs with a level of controlled acceleration and suddenness that few players at the position can match. His chemistry with Josh Allen is obvious, as the two have combined for 100+ pass completions and 1,200+ yards in each of their two seasons together.
Second, though Diggs’ 2021 season wasn’t quite as good as his First Team All-Pro dominance from 2020, he was more than good enough to make his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance. The people at Madden appear to think his decline in production (127 catches, 1,535 yards, 8 TD to 103 catches, 1,225 yards, 10 TD) was the result of increased attention on the 28-year-old.
I think the rating is just right. There’s a case to make where Diggs is the league’s best receiver, but the consensus is that he’s a top five receiver, and you’ll get no arguement from me there.
Fresh off a recent contract extension, Diggs is also the second receiver in franchise history with consecutive seasons of 1,000+ yards, joining Stevie Johnson from 2010 to 2012. EA clearly understands how much he’s meant to the offense and how much he will mean to them moving forward.