Mike Flanagan Madden Career 2002-2008 - Peak 92 OVR

Mike Flanagan did the least glamorous job on a glamorous offense, and he did it well enough that Brett Favre never had to think about the exchange. A third-round pick out of UCLA in 1996, the 90th selection, he had started 32 straight games for the Bruins and arrived in Green Bay a polished technician. Injuries slowed his start, and he did not make his regular-season debut until December 1998, but he came away with a Super Bowl XXXI ring from that rookie year.

He took over as the Packers starting center in 2001 and anchored the middle of the line through 2005, snapping to Favre and calling the protections in front of him. His 2003 Pro Bowl made him the first Green Bay center honored since 1996. A knee surgery ended his 2004 early, and he closed out in Houston with the Texans in 2006 and 2007.

His Madden trajectory reads like a career finding its footing. He was a 57 in the 2001 edition before he had won the job, then climbed steadily to a 91 in 2004 and a peak of 92 shared across the 2005 and 2006 games. The 2007 and 2008 editions eased him back to 87 and 80.