Harrison Smith Gets His Flowers
Josh Frey
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Every year, EA Sports releases a new version of Madden NFL, which allows fans to virtually bring the NFL into their living rooms. The newest game, Madden NFL 24, began announcing the player overalls for this upcoming season on Monday, and their first announcement was entering Justin Jefferson into the ‘”99 Club”, a prestigious group of the top players in the game with the highest overall rating.
However, Jefferson was not the only Viking to receive a high rating in the upcoming game. Monday also brought the ratings for the top safeties in the game, and Vikings safety Harrison Smith got his flowers, being rated 90 overall, the 9th-best safety in the game.
Not only did Smith make the top-10 overall safeties, but he was also given the highest catch rating and the highest pursuit rating in the game.
Neither should come as a big surprise for a player with “The Hitman” nickname. Smith has utilized his speed and athleticism to deliver massive, linebacker-esque hits as a safety. Over his career, he has put together 43 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks.
However, on top of this ability to deliver punishing tackles, the safety is just as dangerous as a playmaker in pass protection. In 2022, Smith recorded 5 interceptions, tying for the fifth-most in the NFL.
It was the fourth time in his career that Smith has recorded that many picks. Only 24 players in NFL history have 6+ seasons with that many interceptions in their careers, and with Devin McCourty’s retirement earlier this spring, he is tied for the most career interceptions (34) among all active players with former teammate Patrick Peterson.
Despite entering his age-34 season in 2023, Smith remains one of the best safeties in the entire league. We’ll see if he can re-capture the sole title for most INTs among active players this year.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.