The secret is out – doubling Justin Jefferson is the only way to stop him.

Please, that was common knowledge already! But it was reaffirmed Friday in the final ratings reveal for Madden 26. Jefferson, part of the exclusive “99 Club” in the iconic video game for the third time in six appearances, received the X-Factor Superstar Ability "Double Me," which increases his odds of coming down with the football in aggressive catch battles against single coverage. Yup, right on the money!

Defenses have practically invented ways to try and slow down Jefferson – but to no avail. In 77 career games, he's produced 495 receptions for 7,432 yards and 40 touchdowns. His 96.5 career receiving yards per game is the gold standard. One player in history – one! – lies within 10 yards (Ja'Marr Chase, 87.5).

Entering his sixth pro season, Jefferson is responsible for 73 contested catches, according to Pro Football Focus. It's irrelevant if defenses deploy man or zone coverage. Jefferson devises a way to make them pay.

In Madden 26, Jefferson is designated with 99 ratings for awareness, release and spectacular catch. He also has 98 stamina, change of direction and catch in traffic, as well as short and medium route running. His deep route running is a 97, while his speed, acceleration and agility are ascendingly 91, 92 and 95.

Of course, he's one of many Minnesota standouts that'd be fun to control on your chosen console.

You can apply numerous filters to sort ratings of Vikings players and your other favorite NFLers here.

Now let's analyze three Purple-focused takeaways from the complete Madden 26 ratings reveal.

Oh, and by the way, the Vikings team launch rating is an 88, which is neck-and-neck with rival Detroit.

Baltimore (93), Philadelphia (91), Kansas City (90) and Buffalo (89) are the top overall clubs.

POSITION LEADERS

Jonathan Allen, Blake Cashman, Christian Darrisaw, Andrew DePaola, C.J. Ham, T.J. Hockenson, Ryan Kelly, Brian O'Neill and Harrison Smith were rated in the top 10 at their positions along with Jefferson.

Let's start with a new Viking: Allen is an 88 and tied for 10th among defensive tackles. Some of his most impressive traits are 95 tackling, 88 power moves, 88 play recognition, 86 pursuit and 84 block shedding.

Cashman closely cracked the Top 10 Mike linebackers, with an 83 overall rating. His 90 acceleration is fantastic, and seen often last season closing the distance on quarterbacks when he was used as a blitzer. Cashman received 87 pursuit, 84 play recognition and 83 hit power ratings after his superb homecoming.

"Big Dog" Darrisaw is a 92 overall, the second-highest rated Viking and sixth-highest rated left tackle. His 97 impact blocking is elite, as are his 95 pass block versus power rushes and 90 pass block versus finesse.

DePaola, a First- or Second-Team All-Pro in each of the past three seasons — not to mention the only long snapper in NFL history to gather three straight Pro Bowl nods — tied with Chargers long snapper Josh Harris for the No. 1 rating. An 81 overall, DePaola possesses 75 strength and 72 toughness.

Currently entrenched in his 10th training camp, Ham was designated a 75 overall and the No. 4 fullback after San Francisco's Kyle Juszczyk (88), Baltimore's Patrick Ricard (83) and Buffalo's Reggie Gilliam (79). A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Ham can lay down the hammer with 79 trucking and 74 stiff arm ratings.

Hockenson launched as the No. 7 tight end, boasting an 88 overall. His highest general trait is 93 awareness, and his finest receiving ones are 94 catching, 90 spectacular catch and 87 catch in traffic. A two-time Pro Bowler like Ham, Hock' has modest blocking ratings, with 66 impact blocking at the top.

Another new Viking, Kelly, checked in as an 83 and is the sixth center listed. Kelly has nice blocking ratings across the board, although he's viewed as slightly better in pass protection than road grading.

Minnesota's right flank, O'Neill, is an 86 overall. Only three right tackles own a better launch rating than him – Philadelphia's Lane Johnson (99), Detroit's Penei Sewell (96) and Green Bay's Zach Tom (87). O'Neill's top blocking attribute is an 88 run block finesse, which assesses his value in zone-run schemes.

The 36-year-old Smith managed an 88 overall, good for the No. 5 rating at free safety. His "Hitman" nickname lives on with a 91 hit power rating, and his 37 career interceptions, which is tops among active players, contributed to solid numbers for awareness (93), zone coverage (85) and catching (82).

ROOKIE REVIEW

Donovan Jackson debuted in Madden 26 with a 74 overall rating.

It's nothing to scoff at, but nothing to write home about, either. Jackson was Minnesota's top draft choice this past spring, No. 24 overall, and the sixth offensive linemen selected. Yet he's rated seventh among rookie hog mollies behind New England's Will Campbell (79), Armand Membou of the Jets (77), Dallas' Tyler Booker (77), New Orleans' Kelvin Banks, Jr., (76), Seattle's Grey Zabel (75) and Kansas City's Josh Simmons (75). The latter, interestingly, was Jackson's teammate at Ohio State and drafted after him.

Jackson's top trait is strength, which aligns with his plain-as-day ability to entangle defenders in a phone booth, absorb their contact, anchor his feet into the ground and move them out of gaps. The 6-foot-4, 317-pounder's foremost blocking ratings are 86 impact blocking, 82 lead block and 78 run block finesse.

Through a week-and-a-half of training camp, Jackson has taken all of his reps at left guard.

Jackson's 90 strength rating tied with Seahawks guard Bryce Cabeldue for fourth among rookie o-linemen, trailing Booker (94), Panthers guard Luke Kandra (93) and Ravens tackle Reid Holskey (91).

The Vikings four other draft picks – receiver Tai Felton, defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, linebacker Kobe King and tight end Gavin Bartholomew – are non-top 10 rookies in their position groups.

Felton earned a 71 overall rating, with sweet 93 speed and acceleration. They complement 85 and 84 ratings for change of direction and agility. His speed is tied for fifth among rookie wide receivers and tied for eighth among all wideouts. Felton also has 82 juking, 81 catching and a 79 spectacular catch rating.

Ingram-Dawkins was designated just a 66 overall; granted, his 83 strength and 77 speed are respectable. His relative lack of experience, considering he was a rotational player at Georgia, shouldn't be forgotten. The rook's top defensive attributes are 77 hit power, 74 block shedding and 72 pursuit and power moves.

Lastly, King and Bartholomew, picked back-to-back in the middle of the sixth round, were awarded 64 overall ratings. The former's durability – King played in 46 games at Penn State, including 16 last season – is reflected by a good 88 injury rating; and his 91 acceleration and 83 speed are great for a knock-back, run-stopping linebacker. Additionally, King was given 79 hit power, 79 pursuit and 76 tackle ratings.

Bartholomew narrowly missed being a top-10 rookie tight end. He boasts an intriguing 87 acceleration rating, plus 82 speed and agility. A 57-yard catch-and-run touchdown in college that featured a hurdle – and a 36.5-inch vertical jump at his Pro Day – likely contributed to his 87 jumping rating. Regarding his best receiving traits, Bartholomew scored a 76 in catching and spectacular catch and a 75 catch in traffic.

Here's a look at the overall ratings for 13 members of the 2025 Vikings UDFA class:

• WR Myles Price - 66
• CB Zemaiah Vaughn - 65
• T Logan Brown - 63
• WR Silas Bolden - 63
• OLB Tyler Batty - 63
• LB Austin Keys - 62
• LB Dorian Mausi - 62
• G Joe Huber - 62
• TE Ben Yurosek - 61
• OLB Chaz Chambliss - 61
• TE Bryson Nesbit - 60
• QB Max Brosmer - 60
• OL Zeke Correll - 58

UNJUSTLY UNDERRATED

It's easy (and pointless) to argue ratings. They're not a serious indicator of a player's importance to his team, or an extremely accurate measure of their performance. To some degree, launch ratings are a popularity contest. Not to mention, they'll rise or drop via weekly online updates throughout the season.

Even with that in mind, we're obliged to gripe over ratings for Cashman, Jonathan Greenard, Josh Oliver and Andrew Van Ginkel. The three defensive players are 83 overalls, and the big-bodied tight end is a 73.

Each of them proved invaluable to Minnesota winning 14 games a year ago. Furthermore, the two edge defenders were honored with trips to the Pro Bowl – Van Ginkel also collected All-Pro recognition – and Cashman might have ended up there if he didn't miss several games due to injury. Oliver's rating is the biggest travesty since he's terrific at manhandling players off the edge and executing second-level blocks.

Another underrated player (but unproven) is quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The 22-year-old is a 73 overall, after debuting as a 72, with 91 throw power, 85 speed, 82 throw on the run and 76 break sack ratings.

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