Lance Dunbar Madden Career 2013-2018 - Peak 77 OVR

Lance Dunbar set the rushing records at North Texas but went undrafted in 2012 on size concerns, and Dallas found the perfect use for the small, quick back, the passing game. He became a change-of-pace and third-down weapon, a runner who did his best work catching the ball out of the backfield, 69 receptions across his career against modest carry totals.

The Madden card kept climbing even as his career stalled. He rose from a 63 to a 77 peak in Madden NFL 18, but the number was lagging a grim reality, because a catastrophic knee injury in October 2015, a torn ACL, MCL and patellar tendon on a kickoff return, had already taken the burst that made him useful. The grade reflected the pass-catching profile more than the body that could no longer deliver it.

He tried to come back with the Rams but was never the same, the multi-ligament injury too much to fully overcome. Dunbar is a study in how quickly a specialist's career can end, an undrafted back who had carved out a real niche before one play took it away. The climb to a 77 on his card is a little cruel, a rating rising for a player the injury had already sidelined.