New England Patriots: Top 5 player ratings on Madden 21

3. Dont’a Hightower, LB

Madden 21 rating: 88

Coming in at No. 3 on the list of players ranked by Madden 21 is Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower. Hightower, who turned 30 years old in March, received an overall rating of 88, the highest-rated player to not break the 90 rating mark.

The two-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion was also tagged with attribute ratings of 81 in speed, 86 in acceleration, 84 in strength, 79 in agility, 95 in awareness, 92 in tackling, 82 in jumping ability, 90 in injury, 91 in stamina and 90 in toughness.

Although he has missed just two regular-season games over the last two years, one thing Hightower has struggled to do during the entirety of his professional career is making it a full season on the field. Over the course of eight-year tenure in the NFL and with the Patriots, Hightower has played in all 16 regular-season contests just once (2013 season).

In 2019, where Hightower received his second Pro Bowl selection, the linebacker appeared and started in 15 games for New England. During that stretch, he finished with 71 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, 5.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown.

In the middle of a defense that ranked as one of the tops in the NFL during the season a year ago, Hightower will once again play a big role as being the anchor of this defense while it hopes to return to form early and often during the 2020 campaign.