It's that time of year again.
EA Sports released its rankings of every player in the Madden NFL 2022 video game. Madden 22 has an initial release date of August 17.
There were 50 former Notre Dame players who made the cut to appear in the game. The list is headlined by Dallas Cowboys offensive guard Zack Martin, who earned the highest grade among former Golden Domers with a 98 overall.
Below is a look at how the 49 other former Irish players graded out.
Quarterback
Ian Book (New Orleans Saints): 61
DeShone Kizer (Tennessee Titans): 58
Blue & Gold says: Notre Dame hasn't exactly been a quarterback factory of late, but the Irish have two signal callers represented in the upcoming game. That's more than a lot of programs can say.
Running Back
Josh Adams (New York Jets): 68
C.J. Prosise (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 68
Dexter Williams (Green Bay Packers): 65
Blue & Gold says: Much like the quarterback position, running backs haven't come out of Notre Dame in droves recently. But again, having three on active NFL rosters isn't something to look down on for the Irish — especially with a prospect like Kyren Williams potentially one year away from entering the league.
Wide Receiver
Will Fuller V (Miami Dolphins): 85
Chase Claypool (Pittsburgh Steelers): 78
Miles Boykin (Baltimore Ravens): 72
Equanimeous St. Brown (Green Bay Packers): 68
Ben Skowronek (Los Angeles Rams): 62
Blue & Gold says: All five of these wideouts are 27 years old or younger. Fuller (27) is the only one over 25. Notre Dame appears to have wide receiver representation in the NFL for many years to come.
Tight End
Kyle Rudolph (New York Giants): 82
Cole Kmet (Chicago Bears): 72
Tommy Tremble (Carolina Panthers): 70
Durham Smythe (Miami Dolphins): 66
Alize Mack (Detroit Lions): 57
Brock Wright (Detroit Lions): 56
J.J. Jansen (Carolina Panthers; long snapper): 37
Blue & Gold says: Current Notre Dame sophomore standout Michael Mayer will soon make an already impressive list even better.
Offensive Line
Zack Martin (Dallas Cowboys): 98
Quenton Nelson (Indianapolis Colts): 95
Ronnie Stanley (Baltimore Ravens): 93
Mike McGlinchey (San Francisco 49ers): 80
Nick Martin (Las Vegas Raiders): 70
Aaron Banks (San Francisco 49ers): 68
Liam Eichenberg (Miami Dolphins): 65
Robert Hainsey (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 64
Sam Mustipher (Chicago Bears): 64
Alex Bars (Chicago Bears): 62
Sam Young (Las Vegas Raiders): 61
Blue & Gold says: The top three alone would be enough to distinguish Notre Dame as "offensive line U", but the Irish have eight rostered offensive linemen on top of that. South Bend has become a big guy factory.
Defensive Line
Stephon Tuitt (Pittsburgh Steelers): 89
Jerry Tillery (Los Angeles Chargers): 74
Isaac Rochell (Indianapolis Colts): 68
Khalid Kareem (Cincinnati Bengals): 67
Sheldon Day (Cleveland Browns): 65
Adetokunbo Ogundeji (Atlanta Falcons): 63
Blue & Gold says: It's not as extensive as the offensive line list, but Notre Dame has still produced quite a few defensive linemen over the years. And the count could grow by quite a bit with the likes of Isaiah Foskey, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and the Ademilola brothers waiting for their turns to break into the league.
Linebacker
Romeo Okwara (Detroit Lions): 79
Jaylon Smith (Dallas Cowboys): 77
Drue Tranquill (Los Angeles Chargers): 73
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Cleveland Browns): 72
Julian Okwara (Detroit Lions): 68
James Onwualu (Las Vegas Raiders): 65
Daelin Hayes (Baltimore Ravens): 63
Asmar Bilal (Las Vegas Raiders): 61
Blue & Gold says: Two of the players on this list were key figures in Notre Dame’s run to the College Football Playoff last season. It'll be interesting to see how Owusu-Koramoah’s and Hayes' success translates to the NFL.
Safety
Harrison Smith (Minnesota Vikings): 90
Julian Love (New York Giants): 75
Matthias Farley (Tennessee Titans): 72
Alohi Gilman (Los Angeles Chargers): 66
Bennett Jackson (New York Jets): 62
Blue & Gold says: Five-time Pro Bowl selection Harrison Smith. Enough said.
Cornerback
Troy Pride Jr. (Carolina Panthers): 72
Cole Luke (Washington Football Team): 59
Donte Vaughn (Los Angeles Chargers): 59
Blue & Gold says: This trio and Notre Dame's current situation at corner is enough prove to conclude the Irish could be better at recruiting and developing the position. All eyes are on Irish corners Clarence Lewis and Cam Hart to see if the group can turn the corner and set a new precedent in South Bend.
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