The Top 10 Vikings According to Madden 24
This week, Madden 24 began rolling out its overall ratings for each player in the game. The first player to join the “99 Club” this year actually was Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, a well-earned honor after his prolific 2022 season.
But what about the other Minnesota Vikings? Today, we are going to go over the top 10 Vikings players according to Madden. You can find the entire Vikings in-game roster here.
T-10. LB Jordan Hicks (77 Overall)
Jordan Hicks, a free agency acquisition by the Vikings in 2022, kicks off the top-10 list. The linebacker had a bit of a down year last season, but the hope is that he can be rejuvenated in a blitz-heavy Brian Flores defense in 2023 after blitzing a career-low 17 times during 2022. He is at his best when he is allowed to fly around in the middle of a defense and provide physicality in run defense, so that seems to be taken into account with this rating.
T-10. WR K.J. Osborn (77 Overall)
With Adam Thielen no longer around, K.J. Osborn is going to be relied on as one of the vocal leaders in the Vikings offense. The three-year receiver didn’t see much playing time during his rookie season of 2020, but in 2021 and 2022, he burst onto the scene by recording 50+ receptions, 650+ receiving yards and 5+ TDs in both years. Seeing as the WR2 job is up for grabs, this could be another opportunity for the veteran to take a further step forward.
9. DL Harrison Phillips (79 Overall)
In his first year with the Vikings, Harrison Phillips was a steady producer for the team, starting all 17 games and recording 59 tackles on the defensive front, including 3 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Dalvin Tomlinson landed a massive contract with the Cleveland Browns over the offseason, and Phillips is now going to be relied upon to lead the Vikings defensive line alongside free agency acquisition Dean Lowry.
8. CB Byron Murphy (82 Overall)
Byron Murphy looks like he is the most important free agent acquisition of the offseason for the Minnesota Vikings. Given all the inexperience in the secondary, Murphy is the one veteran that has been a starter for virtually his entire career. He is a versatile player as well, capable of playing in either the slot or on the boundary.
7. QB Kirk Cousins (84 Overall)
Veteran QB Kirk Cousins has faced a lot of scrutiny over the course of his NFL career, but the developers of the game are higher on Cousins than many others as well, and they have made him the ninth-best QB in the game heading into the new season. The Vikings quarterback was extremely clutch throughout the regular season in 2022, leading 8 game-winning drives over the course of the year.
6. LT Christian Darrisaw (85 Overall)
If you ask Vikings fans who the top three players on the team are heading into 2023, Christian Darrisaw likely would be on that list. With that in mind, this placement by Madden is a bit surprising considering just how proficient the second-year left tackle was in both run-blocking and pass-protection during 2022. The Vikings 2021 first-round pick took a major step forward last year, and Pro Football Focus graded him out as the third-best offensive lineman in the entire league.
5. RT Brian O’Neill (86 Overall)
Finalizing one of the best offensive tackle duos in the entire league, Brian O’Neill begins the top-five of the Vikings players. O’Neill has steadily gotten better in just about every year of his career since being drafted by the team in the second-round of the 2018 Draft. In 2022, he suffered a partially torn Achilles, and his absence proved to be a hindrance to the team down the stretch of the season. Hopefully, he is back to full speed when training camp begins next week.
4. OLB Danielle Hunter (87 Overall)
Danielle Hunter’s status with the Vikings is a bit up in the air right now due to the contract dispute that led him to sit out of mandatory mini-camp earlier this spring. Hopefully, he will still be around when Week 1 arrives, though, because the talent on the field is unquestioned when he is healthy. After a pair of injury-riddled seasons in 2020 and 2021, Hunter bounced back in 2022 to lead the Vikings in sacks, recording 10.5.
T-2. TE T.J. Hockenson (90 Overall)
The Vikings made a big midseason trade to acquire tight end T.J. Hockenson, and it proved to be a major victory for them. Over just 10 regular season games with the Vikings, Hockenson caught 60 passes and recorded 519 yards. He is a very vital part of Minnesota’s offense heading into 2023 and has proven to be one of the very best tight ends in the league.
T-2. S Harrison Smith (90 Overall)
Harrison Smith is entering his age-34 season, but from his production on the field in 2022, you would never know it. The longest-tenured Viking recorded five interceptions last year, again proving to be a hawk as a last line of defense in the secondary. As a result, he was rated as one of the top 10 safeties in Madden this year, and he will provide vital veteran leadership in Minnesota’s defense once again.
1. WR Justin Jefferson (99 Overall)
And, of course, the top-rated Vikings player in Madden 24 is wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The star entered the “99 Club”, being one of the few players to begin the season with a 99 overall rating. The star has broken oodles of NFL and Vikings franchise records over his first three seasons, and he should be expected to have a similarly dominant season in 2023 as he continues his pursuit of becoming the first receiver to record 2000 receiving yards in a single season.
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.