Madden 21 Ratings: The best pass coverage players in Franchise Mode


The Madden 21 ratings are out, and so is the NFL 100 list.

This always causes a stir amongst players, who wanted to be rated the best.

You don't become a professional athlete without being incredibly competitive. And the NFL is no different.

So that leaves us wondering who are the best pass coverage players in Madden 21?

Pass coverage in Madden 21

Pass coverage has different levels depending on the position.

Bobby Wagner has the best zone cover of any linebacker at 84, but this would be way down the list for a player in the secondary.

For the purposes of this review, we will focus on the secondary.

We took the Madden 21 ratings for man cover, zone cover, press, and change of direction to create total 'cover points'.

READ MORE: The most athletic players in Madden 21

There are a few further stats that have a shout at being included, namely play recognition, awareness, speed, acceleration, and height. But to keep things simple we want to focus on the core stats.

Change of direction is a new stat that is being applied alongside the new gameplay styles and therefore could have a big impact.

So who are the top five?

Stephon Gilmore (CB, Patriots)

95 change of direction, 99 man cover, 97 zone cover, 99 press - 390 out of 396

Last years defensive player of the year looks like he will be a dominant defender in Madden 21.

Coming off a league-leading six interceptions and twenty pass deflections, its no surprise to see him in the elite group of the best players in the game.

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99 CLUB: Gilmore is amongst the best in the whole game

EA have nearly given him the perfect score and as such hes in the 99 Club.

READ MORE: What can Madden 21 learn from FIFA 21 fixes to career mode

He's fast enough to keep up, but more impressively he can cut and change direction almost effortlessly which helps him stick to the best WR's.

Jalen Ramsey (CB, Rams)

91 change of direction, 95 man cover, 95 zone cover, 96 press - 377 out of 396

There's a bit of a drop off from Gilmore to Ramsey, but he's definitely the best of the rest.

The outspoken defender had a tough 2019 campaign, but his move to the Rams seems to have helped and he's a shutdown corner that any team would want.

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GORGEOUS: The graphics in Madden show incredible details of the dome on Ramsey's helmet

For Ramsey, it doesn't matter whether its man or a zone scheme - he has elite coverage stats.

Richard Sherman (CB, 49ers)

88 change of direction, 90 man cover, 98 zone cover, 96 press - 372 out of 396

A multiple-time Super Bowl winner, Richard Sherman is getting to the end of an illustrious career.

READ MORE: Madden 21 rookie faces revealed

If we included some of the physical stats, he probably wouldn't have made the list.

But moving him to safety in Franchise will get a few more seasons out of him and make the use of that league leading 98 zone cover

Casey Heyward Jr (CB, Chargers)

93 change of direction, 92 man cover, 90 zone cover, 90 press - 365 out of 396

Heyward Jr sneaks into this due to his consistently high coverage stats, and he might be one under the radar.

Chargers fans will know how good he is, but with an overall of 89 you might have a better chance of trading for him in Franchise mode and still get some mouth watering stats.

Tyrann Mathieu (SS, Chiefs)

93 change of direction, 90 man cover, 90 zone cover, 87 press - 360 out of 396

The final spot of the list doesn't go to a CB, and that's a testament to how good Mathieu is.

READ MORE: All the X-Factor and Superstar abilities in Madden 21

Most Safeties come out with high zone cover stats, but Mathieu has impressive abilities in both cover stats.

madden 20 flashbacks tyrann mathieu ultimate team
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SUPER BOWL CHAMP: Mathieu moved to the 49ers and won the big one

He can play anywhere in the secondary, but with his great tackling he is best in a SS scheme that focuses on pass coverage.

Best of the rest

There are plenty of honourable mentions in the list.

It's also worth pointing out there are players not included with higher total scores than some of those in the below list.

This list represents the best players under each rating.

So if you think change of direction is going to a big part of the new game, you might see value in someone like Avonte Maddox.

Player
Pos
Team
OVR
COD
MCV
ZCV
PRS
Cover Points
Stephon Gilmore
CB
Patriots
99
95
99
97
99
390
Jalen Ramsey
CB
Rams
94
91
95
95
96
377
Richard Sherman
CB
49ers
92
88
90
98
96
372
Casey Heyward Jr
CB
Chargers
89
93
92
90
90
365
Tyrann Mathieu
SS
Chiefs
93
93
90
90
87
360
Jaire Alexander
CB
Packers
90
97
93
85
85
360
Byron Jones
CB
Dolphins
88
93
84
90
92
359
Tre'Davious White
CB
Bills
90
89
91
88
90
358
Patrick Peterson
CB
Cardinals
88
93
89
86
87
355
Marlon Humphrey
CB
Ravens
89
90
90
83
91
354
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