Daryl Gardener Madden Career 1997-2004 - Peak 90 OVR

There is a piece of draft trivia that follows Daryl Gardener everywhere: Miami took the Baylor tackle 20th overall in 1996, a slot Ray Lewis reportedly assumed was his, and Lewis slid to Baltimore six picks later. Gardener carried that weight and became a powerful run-stuffing anchor for the Dolphins for six seasons.

He was a big, long-armed presence in the middle, first-team All-Southwest Conference in college and a load to move at the point of attack. His most productive year came in 1999 with 51 tackles and five sacks, and he finished with 311 tackles and 19 sacks over eight NFL seasons. Back and injury trouble cut into his time, and he wrapped up with single years in Washington and Denver.

His Madden ratings swing sharply with his health and role. He was a 30 as a rookie in the 1996 edition, then surfaced as an 89 in the 2000 game once he was an established starter. The number bounced to 74 in the 2002 edition before he topped out at 90 in the 2003 edition, his lone season in Denver, and held at 88 the following year.