With the NFL deep into its offseason, hype has been building around the virtual football pitch for months now. EA Sports' annual release of Madden is approaching - and 2019's version is expected to be one of the most exciting yet. 

MADDEN 19 FEATURES

The game's developer has already announced a number of cool new features for the title, which drops in August. 

This year, some of Madden biggest selling points are "real player motions", interactive touchdown celebrations, a Longshot sequel and upgrades to Ultimate Team. Epic. 

As well as hearing about these new features, NFL fans always love it when ratings are finally announced. 

And now, with exactly one month until Madden 19 is released, EA have finally revealed a bulk of their player ratings.  

THE BEST PLAYERS

The official ratings for top players in a number of important positions are now out, so we now know the best quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and linebackers in the game. 

So, let's start with the signal-callers. 

As we already knew, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady top the list with their 99 ratings, which have previously been announced. 

But following behind them to complete the top five are Russell Wilson with his 92 rating, Drew Bress at 91 and Matt Ryan with an 89.

Check out the full list, that includes ratings for all the QBs in the game. Now, it should be noted that there's a typo on Dak Prescott's rating - he's confirmed as 82, not 92. 

Moving on, let's take a look at the RBs.  

THE TOP RUNNING BACKS IN MADDEN 19

There aren't any running backs in the "99 club" so this list is completely new. 

Le'Veon Bell tops it with a 96 rating and he's followed by David Johnson at 93, Ezekiel Elliott on 92, Todd Gurley, who's also at 92 and Devonta Freeman at 91. 

Following those announcements, we'll check out the wide receivers next. 

THE BEST WR'S IN THE GAME

Now, Antonio Brown's 99 was already confirmed - and he's followed closely by a number of his rivals. 

Julio Jones clocks in at 98, just in front of Odell Beckham Jr, who's rated 95. DeAndre Hopkins has a 94 rating, shading A.J. Green, who begins Madden 19 with a 93. 

Finally, we'll take a look at the top linebackers in the game.  

ELITE DEFENCE 

Two people on this list belong to the exclusive Madden 19 "99 club" - Von Miller and Luke Kuechly. 

But they're followed closely by Bobby Wagner, Sean Lee and Lavonte David, who are rated 97, 96 and 95 respectively. 

Do YOU agree with these Madden 19 ratings? Or should some players be rated higher - or lower? Have YOUR say in the comments below.