Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski finished last year's reign as the "Madden" cover athlete rated 99 overall, despite an injury that cut his season short. For "Madden NFL 18," he'll begin at 98. Gronkowski is the highest-rated tight end in the game, with Travis Kelce, Jimmy Graham, and Delanie Walker next in line.
Falcons receiver Julio Jones stands alone at the top of the wide receiver list. Even at 98 overall, his attributes read like a would-be 99. That includes Awareness (99), Spectacular Catch (98), Catching (98), Route Running (96), Agility (95), and Speed (94).
MORE: Top-rated RBs in "Madden NFL 18"
Despite a rating of 97 overall, Steelers receiver Antonio Brown also will play like a 99, with attributes such as Catching (98), Awareness (98), Spectacular Catch (97), Elusiveness (97), and Route Running (97).
The Spectacular Catch rating is one that features highly for the best at the wide receiver position: Odell Beckham Jr. retains his 99 in that category. Among those rated 98 are Jones and A.J. Green, while Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Dez Bryant, and Larry Fitzgerald hold 97s. Jimmy Graham is the highest rated tight end in Spectacular Catch at 96.
Wide Receivers
— Julio Jones, Falcons: 98 Overall
— Antonio Brown, Steelers: 97 Overall
— A.J. Green, Bengals: 94 Overall
— Odell Beckham Jr., Giants: 93 Overall
— Dez Bryant, Cowboys: 91 Overall
— DeAndre Hopkins, Texans: 91 Overall
— Jordy Nelson, Packers: 91 Overall
— Mike Evans, Buccaneers: 91 Overall
— Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals: 90 Overall
— Keenan Allen, Chargers: 89 Overall
— Doug Baldwin, Seahawks: 89 Overall
— Julian Edelman, Patriots: 89 Overall
— Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos: 89 Overall
— T.Y. Hilton, Colts: 88 Overall
— Jarvis Landry, Dolphins: 88 Overall
Tight Ends
— Rob Gronkowski, Patriots: 98 Overall
— Travis Kelce, Chiefs: 94 Overall
— Jimmy Graham, Seahawks: 93 Overall
— Delanie Walker, Titans: 93 Overall
— Greg Olsen, Panthers: 92 Overall
— Tyler Eifert, Bengals: 91 Overall
— Jordan Reed, Redskins: 91 Overall
— Jason Witten, Cowboys: 90 Overall
— Martellus Bennett, Packers: 89 Overall
MORE: Top-rated rookies | Top-rated QBs
EA Sports recently released the first gameplay trailer for "Madden NFL 18," which includes a quick look at new features like Target Passing, Play Styles, and WR/DB Interactions .
"Madden NFL 18" also introduces the series' first ever story mode, featuring actors that include Mahershala Ali and Scott Porter, plus appearances from licensed colleges Texas and Oregon.
The game will release Aug. 22 for those who buy the $80 "G.O.A.T" edition, and Aug. 25 for the standard edition. Those with an EA Access subscription on Xbox One will be able to start playing a 10-hour trial of the game Aug. 17.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter@Pastapadre.