Aaron Donald, J.J. Watt Lead Top 10 Pass-Rushers in Madden NFL 21 Player Ratings

Aaron Donald is once again the top pass-rusher in Madden NFL 21, earning a 99 rating for the fourth straight year.

The Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle stands above the rest of stars lining up in the front-seven, although J.J. Watt and Khalil Mack remain highly rated in the latest video game.

Michael Rothstein of ESPN provided the top 10 pass-rushers in Madden:

1. Aaron Donald (99)

2. J.J. Watt (98)

T3. Khalil Mack (97)

T3. Von Miller (97)

T5. Fletcher Cox (96)

T5. Cameron Jordan (96)

T7. Chandler Jones (95)

T7. Calais Campbell (95)

9. Myles Garrett (93)

10. Chris Jones (92)

Donald was the easy call for the top spot, staying in the exclusive 99 Club. He received his gift box in a surprise from his fiancee, Erica Sherman:

With six Pro Bowl selections, five first-team All-Pro honors and two Defensive Player of the Year awards, the tackle should remain a highly rated player for the foreseeable future.

The remaining rankings gave a lot of respect to veteran players with a more proven track record.

Watt, Mack and Von Miller have been elite defenders for years, and the Madden raters thought they deserve to stay high on the list despite relatively quiet 2019 campaigns. None of the three reached 10 sacks last season, with Watt limited to eight games because of injury.

Younger players didn't seem to get the same benefit of the doubt.

Chris Jones (92 rating) stayed relatively low even though a poll of 50 league personnel rated the Kansas City Chiefs star the No. 2 interior linemen in the NFL, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. He agreed to a four-year extension worth $85 million on Tuesday.

Myles Garrett is rated just ninth in the group, while Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa, T.J. Watt and DeForest Buckner didn't even make the list.

There is still plenty of time for these players to climb up the list with big showings in 2020.