Tim McDonald Madden Career 1992-2000 - Peak 98 OVR

Tim McDonald was already a four-time Pro Bowl safety by the time he reached San Francisco. A second-round pick out of USC in 1987, he spent six years with the Cardinals in St. Louis and then Phoenix, making three Pro Bowls and hitting like a linebacker, before the 49ers signed him in free agency in 1993 to finish their secondary for a title run.

Madden's grade rode the same wave as his reputation. It rated McDonald an 85 for the 1992 season, his last in Arizona, then spiked him to a 98 in Madden NFL '95 for 1994, the year he helped hold the back end of the Super Bowl XXIX defense, one of the highest safety grades on the roster and a fair one for a player at the peak of his powers. The number drifted down through the late 90s as he aged, the way they all do.

McDonald made six Pro Bowls in all, three with the Cardinals and three with the 49ers, intercepted 40 passes across thirteen seasons, and won his ring on the 1994 team. He retired after 1999 and passed the position down: his son T.J. McDonald followed him to USC and into the NFL as a safety of his own. A hard-hitting, decorated strong safety who joined the dynasty for its last title, McDonald was one of the rare veterans the game rated as highly as the league did.