The longer it takes for Electronic Arts to officially reveal Madden NFL 22, the more questions are going to be raised by the delay. While it hasn't been officially announced, EA has made it clear that there will be another installment in the long-running football series. EA still hasn't given any indication on when Madden NFL 22 will officially be unveiled, or why it's taking so long to do so. Having said that, when the game does get announced and does finally release, it's always fun to try and find the diamond in the rough player that might not start off with the best rating, but is going to see his profile rise over the course of the season.
When Madden NFL 22 and its cover star are finally simultaneously revealed, it's going to be time to get down to the nitty-gritty. It's a safe bet that there are going to be some dark horse running backs in this crop. Running backs that no one paid any attention to when they were looking for players to play as, or trade for, or stock their Madden Ultimate Team with. These guys aren't going to be the cover athlete, but they could be quite fun to play with in a dynasty done right.
Travis Etienne Joins Madden NFL 22
Madden NFL 22 might have already broken one of its longest-standing traditions, but when the game does finally get unveiled and arrives, it stands to reason that Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne could be a star in the game. In the last draft, most of the attention on the Jags is who they took at quarterback. Their other first-round pick, Etienne could be the guy that really steals the show. Over his four years at Clemson, Etienne was 50 yards shy of 5,000 rushing yards, while amassing 70 touchdowns. He also had 152 catches for 1,155 yards and another eight TDs. He could be quite a bit of fun to see in Madden.
Najee Harris Looking To Prove Something In Madden NFL 22
Travis Etienne isn't the only first-round draft choice that could make some noise in the Madden NFL 22 player ratings. Najee Harris was the first player taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers and it's a safe bet he'll be handed the starting job in real life and in the video game world.
Harris didn't have quite the same kind of career as Etienne but he exploded onto the scene in his final two seasons with Alabama. In 2020, he rushed for 1,466 and a whopping 26 touchdowns while also catching 44 passes for another 425 yards and another four touchdowns. Steelers fans are likely hoping he's the next Le'Veon Bell. If he is, he'll be a heck of a player in Madden NFL 22.
Javonte Williams Could Make Some Noise In Madden NFL 22
Javonte Williams doesn't have the same pedigree or hype around him that Etienne or Harris have, but that doesn't mean he couldn't be a dark horse for one of the better running backs in Madden NFL 22. Williams ran for 1,140 yards and 19 touchdowns for North Carolina State in 2020. While he's not slated to be a starter in real life for the Broncos, that team has had some problems getting a productive back for a number of years.
If Williams can overtake Melvin Gordon on the depth chart, he might see his Madden NFL 22 rating rise not long after it hits store shelves. He's also one of those guys to watch because his initial rating is almost certainly not going to be all that high. If he does take the starting job on the real Broncos' depth chart and shows he earned it in the regular season, his player rating is going to go up quite a bit.
Tevin Coleman Could Make A Comeback for Madden NFL 22
Tevin Coleman stands out in this group because he's not a rookie. In fact, this will be his seventh year in the NFL, but his first with the New York Jets. It's his transition to a new team that could make him a player that stands out from the crowd in Madden NFL 22. With the San Francisco 49ers, Coleman ran for just 53 yards on 28 carries while playing in just eight games due to an injury. Even before he got hurt, Coleman wasn't getting many carries. That could change this year with the Jets, where he's slated to be the starting running back.
Coleman has been a starting running back before, and ran for 800 yards back in 2018 for the Atlanta Falcons. That's likely one of the reasons he entered last season with a rating of 77 in Madden NFL 21. In fact, there's a very good chance that Coleman could be one of the top-rated, if not the top-rated back among this group, at least to open the season. If he has success for the Jets and comes close to what he did in his final year with the Falcons, there's a chance that could go even higher.
Mike Davis Could Stand Out For Another Team In Madden NFL 22
Mike Davis is a veteran running back who has played with six teams in six seasons. Before last year, he had never started more than six games in a single season. When Ed McCaffrey went down with an injury in 2020, Mike Davis stepped up for the Carolina Panthers, rushing for 642 yards and six touchdowns in 12 starts.
Now he's moved onto the Atlanta Falcons, where he's slated to take on the starting role for a team that appears to be in the middle of a rebuild, after trading star receiver Julio Jones. Davis carried a Madden NFL 21 rating of 81 last year and there's a chance his Madden NFL 22 rating could be similar, or even higher now that those who make those kinds of decisions have gotten a very good look at him. The big question will be whether he starts with a similar rating, or whether he has to build it back up now that he's "the man" in Atlanta and doesn't have to wait for the guy on the depth chart ahead of him to get hurt.