The 2021 Madden ratings have started to come out across social media platforms and have caused great debates on different players.

To no surprise, Cheifs quarterback Patrick Mahomes came up with the highest rating at a 99. Tom Brady is a 90 overall with the Bucs in the new videogame, while Aaron Rodgers is tabbed at an 87.

The Madden video game series, dating back to its creation back in 1998, has put a lot of weight into its rating system, which is now updated weekly during the season. The team of analysts develops the rankings by weighing attributes more heavily based on position. For example, a quarterback's throwing accuracy is more important for a quarterback than a linebacker. Similarly, a linebacker's throwing accuracy does not affect their overall rating.

Today, the running back ratings were released.

Packers tailback Aaron Jones, rated 90 overall by Madden, is higher than the likes of Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Alvin Kamara. This drew a lot of criticism online by fans of the video game series.

Jones is coming off the best season of his NFL career, where he rushed for 1,084 yards, totaled 474 receiving yards and co-led the league with 19 rushing touchdowns.

Despite the critics who were upset with the rating on the national scale, it begs a question that Miner fans would be interested in—is Jones the highest-rated Madden player to come out of UTEP?

Short answer, yes.

Since the video game's inception in '98, there have been ex-Miners that have been featured in the video game, most notably Brian Young (Rams, Raiders), Thomas Howard (Raiders), Quintin Demps (Texans), Johnnie Lee Higgins (Raiders), Marcus Thomas (Chargers) and Jordan Palmer (Bengals). According to Madden Ratings, which stores year-by-year player ratings by teams, no former UTEP player has even come close to Jones' 90 overall rating.

Howard came in at a distant second at an 82 overall rating in Madden 2008 after he recorded 96 tackles and six interceptions the year before. Young followed in the 2005 Madden video game, where he was rated 81 after a career-high 59 tackle season with the Saints. Players like Higgins, Demps, Palmer and other former UTEP free agents were rated 77 and lower.

Some are also reporting that the initial list of top-10 Madden running backs might be incorrect. EA released that Barkley's rating is 91 instead of the rumored 88. Even if that's the case and Jones remains among the top-rated backs, he will start the season as the highest-graded former UTEP players of all time.

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