No. 4 — Chase Young
It may seem odd that Chase Young fell all the way to No. 4 on our list, but that’s simply because Madden has shown a propensity to ignore defenders when it comes to putting players on the cover. In the last 20 years, only a total of three defenders have been on the cover, and one of those years, both Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Palomalu shared the cover in 2010. There has yet to be a defensive lineman or DE on the cover, with the only non-secondary player being Ray Lewis.
Young may have the biggest opportunity to become a star in the NFL, but not all stars make the cover. The league’s affinity for skill-position players and touchdown-makers is impossible to ignore, and it leaves difference-makers like Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack, and eventually Young, out in the cold when it comes to recognition. However, with a new feature that includes ‘clutch open-field tackling’ and ‘improved edge-rushing’ it might signal that the game creators are starting to realize the need to glorify defenders and sacks. The fact of the matter is that if Chase Young can truly be as great as some people believe he will be, there’s a chance he will be the first DE to ever grade the Madden cover.