Kendall Simmons Madden Career 2003-2009 - Peak 89 OVR

Before the 2003 season, Kendall Simmons was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, learning to manage blood sugar on the sideline while playing one of the most physical positions in football. He never gave up his starting job over it.

Pittsburgh took Simmons in the first round, 30th overall, in the 2002 draft out of Auburn, where he had been a First-team All-SEC guard. He made the PFWA All-Rookie team that fall and settled in as the Steelers' right guard, blocking for the ground game that carried Pittsburgh to a 21-10 win over Seattle in Super Bowl XL. A torn Achilles in 2008 effectively ended his run in Pittsburgh, and he finished with brief stops in New England and Buffalo before retiring in 2011. He later became a diabetes advocate and coached at the college level.

His Madden arc reads like a lineman who earned his standing. He began as a 72 in the 2002 edition, jumped to 85 in 2004 and 86 in 2005 around the championship season, then topped out at 89 in the 2007 edition. By the 2009 edition, after the Achilles injury, he had dropped back to 79.