Madden 19 drops on August 10 - and football fans will finally be able to get their hands on the latest installment of EA's annual football game. 

This year, there are a host of important changes, as improvements have been made to gameplay, Franchise mode and Ultimate Team. You can read about those here.

With the Madden 19 release less than a week away now, gamers need to know how to make the most of those improvements.

To do that, you'll need to be playing with the best players in the game - that way, you'll get the most out of the gameplay tweaks and find better success in Franchise and Ultimate Team. 

So let's get into it, here are the best football players in Madden 19.

BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYERS 

Quarterback is arguably the most important position on any NFL team. 

Luckily for fans of the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will give you an instant advantage in the game. 

Both Brady and Rodgers have the highest rating of 99 from day one - so Packers and Pats fans will have no problem taking to the field as soon as they start up the game. 

They each have 99 awareness - which is one of the most important abilities a successful signal-caller needs. 

Pair that with Brady's 96 and Rodgers' impressive 97 throw power ratings - and both men will be almost impossible for defenses to stop.   

Following behind them closely are Russell Wilson, Drew Brees and Matt Ryan, who have overall ratings of 92, 91 and 89 respectively. 

WIDE RECEIVERS

Of course, good QBs need good wide receivers to throw too. 

In Madden 19, one WR joins the likes of Brady and Rodgers in the "99 club" - and that's cover athlete Antonio Brown. 

His most impressive stats include 92 speed, 98 agility, 97 elusiveness and of course, his 99 catch ability.

Ratings-wise, Julio Jones is Brown's closest competitor, clocking in at 98 overall - but on the field, it's a different story.

Odell Beckham Jr has an overall of 95 - but he's arguably more fun to play with than Brown and Jones.

The Giants WR has 94 speed, 89 catch and 94 jumping - but it's his 99 rated spectacular catch that makes him stand out - and fun to deploy. 

Just imagine having all three of them on your Ultimate Team.

Behind those men, DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green round off the top five, with overall ratings of 94 and 93. 

THE RUNNING BACKS

Of course, to be successful in the NFL, teams need a strong running game, as well as a passing one. And thanks to the new "real-player motion" technologies, that now applies in Madden 19 too.

While carrying the ball, players will be able to perform new cuts and animations - making it more fun than ever to try and blast your way through defenses on the ground.  

But to do that, you'll need to be playing with some of the best running backs in the game. 

There are no ball carriers in the exclusive "99 club" this year - so the highest rating in the game from day one goes to Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

He has a 96 overall but is followed closely by David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley and Devonta Freeman. 

If you want to evade opposition defenses on the ground in Madden 19, your best bet is to pick up one of these guys.

THE BEST DEFENSE

All these high rated offensive players haven't just been left to run riot in this year's game. Oh no, they're matched up by some pretty tough defenders. 

Three defensive players made the exclusive "99 club" this year. 

Linebackers Von Miller and Luke Kuechly are joined by defensive end Aaron Donald - and all three of those men strike fear into opposition hearts. 

Although, there's not a single member of the secondary that has been given the same honour, but that doesn't mean there aren't any ballhawks in Madden 19. 

LOCKDOWN CORNERS

After an impressive showing in the NFL last season, Jacksonville Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey is the highest rated cornerback in the game this year. 

He comes in at 97 overall - meaning if you line up against the Jags, or anyone with Ramsey on Ultimate Team, it's probably just best to avoid throwing the ball anywhere near him.

The same advice goes for Desmond Trufant and Patrick Peterson, who round off the top three highest rated CBs in Madden 19 - when they're on the field, it's a No Fly Zone. 

Now we've run through some of the most exciting players in the game, it's time to give a shoutout to the NFL's 2018 draft class, by having a look at some of the rookie ratings. 

THE BEST ROOKIE QUARTERBACKS

This year's draft was dominated by a new generation of quarterbacks.

Five rookie QBs were taken in the first round alone back in April - and now, they've been added into Madden 19. 

Out of the top five quarterback picks, Baker Mayfield (who went number one overall) has the highest rating. 

Thanks to his good throw abilities, the Cleveland Browns QB is a safe bet under-center - and shouldn't be overlooked just because he's only entering the league in 2018. 

Baker has 95 throw power, along with 88, 83, and 80 rated accuracy for his short, medium and deep throws.

He's by far the most established rookie in the game. However, that doesn't mean he's the most fun to play with. 

SPEED KING

Although he was only the fifth QB to be picked in the draft, Lamar Jackson actually has the second highest rookie rating.

Clocking in at 79 overall, most of his abilities seem pretty average, but his speed isn't. 

Jackson is the most mobile of rookie QBs - offering Ultimate Team gamers, in particular, a fast, cheap and reliable shot-caller from day one of Madden's release. 

Compared to him and Mayfield, Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold and Josh Allen all seem pretty average. If you want a rookie QB in your team, then take Mayfield or Jackson. 

A WORTHY MENTION

There's one more rookie we need to touch on - but he doesn't play quarterback. Actually, he doesn't play offense at all.  

A few months ago, the Seattle Seahawks took Shaquem Griffin as the 141st pick of the 2018 draft.

That night, he became the NFL's first ever one-handed player - and now, he's in Madden too. 

EA have done a great job of making his likeness unique, so don't shy away from picking Griffin in your team either. 

In less than one week's time, gamers will be able to get their hands on Madden 19 - and after loading up the game, they should look no further than these players to build a team around.  

EA SPORTS Madden NFL 19 is available on PS4 and Xbox One on August 10, and available now with Origin Access.