#80, Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos.
Tight End.
6'5, 250lbs.
Madden Rating: 87.
This guy is a new and upcoming star, and I believe that he will be very important in the Superbowl. Looking at his stats, he is fourth on the team in receiving yards. By that stat , he doesn't seem as somebody to watch. Well, think again. This year, Thomas has 12 receiving touchdowns, second behind #88 Demaryius Thomas. This is very important , because at the end of the day , scoring touchdowns is the most important thing for an offense. When close to the end-zone, Manning will look for Julius Thomas due to his 6'5 250 frame. In addition, Julius Thomas is very athletic. He played basketball in high school, and tight ends who have had a similar past have been very successful. ( Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham to name a few.)
He will be vital to this game because the Seahawks secondary will be looking to shutdown Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, and Eric Decker. Richard Sherman will probably try to defend D. Thomas, Byron Maxwell on Eric Decker, and watch out for either one of the safeties and/or a corner on Wes Welker. With these match-ups in hand , look for Julius Thomas to be covered by a linebacker. This could present a mis-match for Seattle, meaning Peyton Manning and the Broncos will look to throw to him quite often.
Look for Julius Thomas to get around 5 catches and 1 touchdown in the game. He is a safe target for Manning, and he will have no problem throwing to Thomas if he's open.