Patrick Crayton Madden Career 2006-2012 - Peak 82 OVR

Patrick Crayton came from tiny Northwestern Oklahoma State, an NAIA program, a seventh-round pick in 2004 who did something at that level almost no one does, scored touchdowns four different ways in a single season. In Dallas he became a genuinely useful player, a reliable second and third receiver and a punt returner who could flip field position.

The Madden card climbed with his role. He opened at a 68 as a late-round unknown, then rose to an 82 peak in Madden NFL 08 after his best season, 50 catches and seven touchdowns in 2007 that earned him a real extension. The number tracked a player who had turned a long-shot draft slot into a rotation spot on a good team, the grade rising as the production and the trust did.

He added a pair of punt-return touchdowns in 2009 before Dallas drafted Dez Bryant and traded him to San Diego, where a wrist injury wound things down. Crayton finished with better than 3,600 receiving yards, a strong career for a seventh-round NAIA product. His climb from a 68 to an 82 is the fair reward for a small-school receiver who made himself into a legitimate NFL contributor.