Best of the Offensive Linemen- Center Edition
This is an attempt to look over the PFL and highlight the top 10% of the players at each of the positions. There are I’m sure many different ways to do this including stats-based metrics. However, I would prefer to do this based on attributes and based on attributes that I prefer. This means two things, one that the players in this ranking may not have the stats to match and two. The players in this ranking will have the attributes that I prefer not necessarily the attributes that everyone else prefers. This doesn’t mean anyone else is necessarily wrong. It’s just based on how I value players. I also am looking for the most part at attributes, not age. Age may be a tiebreaker or itself like an attribute in the sense that they have higher upside, but I’ll be looking at all players regardless of their age. The same basic idea with their contracts some players have huge contracts and while that may be a small factor in this, it will not be a significant factor. Since I’m primarily looking at the physical attributes.
For this particular article on offensive linemen, I’m gonna break it down with three sub positions. The third position is center. According to the fit the system tool on the website, there are 91 centers. So I will be highlighting the top 15 again according to my criteria.
Speaking of criteria, here are the basic attribute thresholds that need to be reached to be considered elite:
55 SPD | 85 STR | 60 AWR | 60 AGI | 65 ACC | 80 PBK | 80 RBK
Center
#1- LeCharles Bentley- Washington Redskins- 28 years old | 6’2” | 313 lbs. | 66 SPD | 94 STR | 85 AWR | 71 AGI | 78 ACC | 90 PBK | 90 RBK
There are very few elite level centers in this league. The default roster was woeful along the offensive line but this position in particular was horrible. Bentley is one of the very few elite centers in this league. And that’s even after many draft classes. He’s in the prime of his career at age 28 and has 85 AWR and 90 PBK & RBK. So his progressible attributes are excellent. But his physical attributes are what stands out. He has 71 AGI and 78 ACC to go along with 66 SPD and 94 STR. That combination is top of the class. Bentley was originally in New Orleans before being acquired via trade. He’s made one Pro Bowl in his career with a couple of more potentially on the horizon.
#2- Olin Kreutz- Chicago Bears- 30 years old | 6’2” | 292 lbs. | 63 SPD | 89 STR | 93 AWR | 68 AGI | 75 ACC | 93 PBK | 93 RBK
Olin Kreutz comes in at #2 on this list. He’s a veteran center with elite level progressible attributes (93 AWR, 93 PBK, and 93 RBK), but that’s not all he has. He’s has very good physical attributes as well, though he has started to regress. His SPD, STR, AGI, & ACC combo still makes him elite. In his four seasons in Chicago, he has made the Pro Bowl once. He, along with other members of the offensive line, should be given credit for Aaron Rodgers playing way above his head in 2005.
#3- Andre Gurode- Jacksonville Jaguars- 29 years old | 6’4” | 314 lbs. | 60 SPD | 94 STR | 75 AWR | 66 AGI | 71 ACC | 95 PBK | 90 RBK
Andre Gurode comes in at #3 in the top centers list. In pretty much all of these Madden leagues Gurode is a top center in the default rosters. He is in the PFL as well. He’s currently in the prime of his career with elite 94 STR to go along with elite blocking skills of 95 PBK and 90 RBK. He doesn’t have top end AGI or ACC but it’s still above average. And more than enough to land him in the top 3. We will see where he lands in a future list where regression hits him.
#4- Ryan Pontebriand- Cleveland Browns- 28 years old | 6’2” | 255 lbs. | 70 SPD | 99 STR | 80 AWR | 60 AGI | 67 ACC | 91 PBK | 99 RBK
Ryan Pontebriand comes in at #4 on the list. From a strict attributes analysis, there is a case that he could be higher on this list. After all 70 SPD and 99 STR are as good as it gets. The problem here is that he is only 255 lbs. and I have to ding him a bit for that even if it hasn’t killed his performance so far. He also has average AGI and ACC. It’s acceptable but not much beyond that. His progressible skills are also really good. He’s got 80 AWR, 91 PBK, and 99 RBK. That combo is really good for the position. In his four season in the league, he has one Pro Bowl appearance.
#5- Dominic Raiola- Detroit Lions- 29 years old | 6’1” | 295 lbs. | 64 SPD | 85 STR | 75 AWR | 69 AGI | 77 ACC | 99 PBK | 82 RBK
Dominic Raiola comes in at #5 on the list. The argument could be made and in fact I could be pretty easily persuaded that Raiola should be higher on this list, perhaps as high as #3. For me, his 85 STR drops him ever so slightly behind the two guys above him. But he’s still a really good center who is also in the prime of his career. He’s been a four-year starter In Detroit and though he hasn’t yet made the Pro Bowl, he’s had two seasons of only letting up one sack. The Lions have an elite QB in Donovan McNabb so that doesn’t hurt his stats, but still they are pretty impressive numbers.
#6- Damien Woody- New England Patriots- 30 years old | 6’3” | 320 lbs. | 62 SPD | 90 STR | 92 AWR | 64 AGI | 68 ACC | 89 PBK | 89 RBK
Damien Woody comes in at #6 on this top center list. He has elite level progressibles that makes him stand out. 92 AWR, 89 PBK, and 82 RBK are all elite level attributes. One thing I would point out is that Woody’s weight and frame are noticeably bigger than the rest of the guys on this list. In previous Madden leagues, I would have had 320 lbs. as a baseline for elite level weight, but this current roster has very few players that would even meet than bar much less combining attributes with it. Woody is a two-time Pro Bowler on a team with Tom Brady under center. Yes, that helps him but much like Raiola, they still have to put up the numbers.
#7- Jake Grove- Baltimore Ravens- 26 years old | 6’4” | 300 lbs. | 59 SPD | 89 STR | 77 AWR | 60 AGI | 78 ACC | 89 PBK | 82 RBK
Jake Grove comes in at #7 on the list. Grove has really good physical attributes that could theoretically have pushed him up higher but he just needs a little more seasoning in the progressible attributes. One thing that is true of Grove that isn’t true of most of the rest of these guys on the list is that he is young at 26 years of age. He’s got several more seasons before he enters regression. That should only help move up the ranks. While other players are regressing, he continues to get better. He was originally drafted by the Cardinals in the 2nd round of the 2004 draft before getting traded to Baltimore where he has been a two-year starter.
#8- Kenyatta Walker- Buffalo Bills- 28 years old | 6’5” | 302 lbs. | 61 SPD | 91 STR | 81 AWR | 65 AGI | 72 ACC | 91 PBK | 89 RBK
Coming in at #8 on the top center list is Kenyatta Walker of the Buffalo Bills. He’s got very good physical attributes to go along with excellent progressible attributes. He’s the type of player that tends to fly under the radar but is a cornerstone of a good offensive line. He is likely a bit of a riser up the charts as well as he has two more seasons before he hits regression. Walker is a four-year starter with the first of those four season being in Tampa before he was traded to Buffalo where he has played his next three seasons. Yet to make the Pro-Bowl, he offers promise to do so over the course of the next two seasons.
#9- Brad Meester- Pittsburgh Steelers- 30 years old | 6’3” | 300 lbs. | 61 SPD | 85 STR | 71 AWR | 66 AGI | 71 ACC | 98 PBK | 92 RBK
The Meester meister comes in at #9 on the list. Meester is unspectacular but solid. He boasts an elite level set of blocking skills at 98 PBK and 92 RBK. He has decently above average physical attributes as well and 71 AWR. On the downside, he is in the first year of regression so his physical attributes aren’t getting any better.
#10- Dan Muhlbach- Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 27 years old | 6’4” | 258 lbs. | 65 SPD | 85 STR | 70 AWR | 65 AGI | 85 ACC | 88 PBK | 88 RBK
Don Muhlbach comes in at #10 on this top center list. Muhlbach is an interesting player because he has really good physical attributes and pretty decent blocking skills but he has lower STR and he’s very light for the position at 258 lbs. Muhlbach was a 2nd round pick by the Buccaneers in the 2004 draft and has started all three seasons. He’s just into his prime and while he won’t probably be able to get his AWR to an elite level there is plenty of evidence that he is a quality starter in this league.
#11- Alex Stepanovich- Kansas City Chiefs- 26 years old | 6’4” | 296 lbs. | 57 SPD | 91 STR | 66 AWR | 63 AGI | 74 ACC | 90 PBK | 89 RBK
Alex Stepanovich is next on the list. He’s just a real solid quality starting center in the league. He’s not the fastest though he’s got acceptable SPD, but his blocking skills are borderline elite at 90 PBK and 89 RBK. The rest of his attributes aren’t standing out but they also aren’t a liability either. Stepanovich was originally drafted by the Chiefs in the 3rd round of the 2004 draft. Any time you can get a starter with a 3rd round pick you are doing well.
#12- Hank Fraley- Philadelphia Eagles- 30 years old | 6’2” | 300 lbs. | 57 SPD | 87 STR | 81 AWR | 60 AGI | 66 ACC | 87 PBK | 86 RBK
Hank Fraley comes in at #12 on the list. Hank is an original roster player with the Eagles who is in the first year of regression, but he’s still a starter quality player at the position. He lacks top-end athleticism but has 81 AWR, 87 PBK, and 86 RBK which is still more than enough to do his job. He’s been a four-year starter in the league and has also had to navigate blocking for a young QB, which has put more pressure on him and probably impacted his stat line a bit negatively.
#13- Casey Rabach- Oakland Raiders- 30 years old | 6’4” | 301 lbs. | 59 SPD | 85 AGI | 70 AWR | 65 AGI | 71 ACC | 80 PBK | 86 RBK
Casey Rabach, the Oakland Raiders starting center, comes in at #13 on the top centers list. Rabach has a bit better athleticism than Fraley, but doesn’t have the AWR and and PBK that he does and so he slides in behind him on the list. Rabach is also in his first year of regression but is still more than serviceable at the position. An interesting fact about Rabach is that he is actually the backup center in Oakland. Jeremy Newberry, who was acquired via trade from Arizona in 2006, was the starter last season. He just misses this list because he didn’t make one or more of the benchmarks. Anyway, Rabach is a nice backup center should Newberry go down with injury.
#14- Seth McKinney- Chicago Bears- 28 years old | 6’3” | 305 lbs. | 64 SPD | 87 STR | 61 AWR | 64 AGI | 73 ACC | 87 PBK | 82 RBK
Coming in at #14 is another backup center in Seth McKinney. McKinney currently backs up the #2 center on our list Olin Kreutz. Outside of the fact he is older at age 28, he would be the perfect developmental prospect at the position. He’s got good athleticism and room to grow in the progressible attributes. However, time is likely going to run out on his development due to him being 28. Having said that, he’s another really good backup should Kreutz go down to injury. It’s interesting to me to see backup centers on this list. That may speak to different approaches to roster construction, different evaluation criteria for GM’s, and to a relative lack of talent across the league.
#15- Melvin Fowler- Arizona Cardinals- 28 years old | 6’3” | 310 lbs. | 58 SPD | 90 STR | 65 AWR | 60 AGI | 69 ACC | 80 PBK | 85 RBK
Last on this list is Melvin Fowler from the Arizona Cardinals. Fowler has slightly above average athleticism and slightly above average progressibles. He’s a starter quality player but not a ton more than that. He could have some potential upside but like McKinney above, he’s already 28 so that is going to limit his ceiling. He’s also the 3rd backup in a row on this list. He’s backing up Shaun O’Hara, who just missed this list, due to his lower ACC. Again, like the two guys above, he’s a strong backup should O’Hara go down to injury.
Final Thoughts
The overriding theme across the offensive linemen in this league is that there is lack of athleticism across the board. The center position is no exception to that. There are a couple of guys who either were elite athletically in the default rosters or who have risen to the occasion via the draft. But they are definitely few and far between. I suspect there are plenty of GM’s who would love to upgrade the position, but haven’t found the talent worth investing in. I think that would be where I am as I look at the group. Overall the league continues to languish with a lack of center talent.
