After a brief lull following E3’s Longshot story mode reveal, the floodgates of info have opened and it’s finally Madden season. Beyond the new trailer showing off the new changes to this year’s iteration of the game (including three very distinct gameplay modes), we now know what the top 5 QBs and the top 5 rookies are looking like ratings-wise.
Some aren’t too much of a surprise, but those rookies look like they can set a Franchise straight for years to come. How long will Matt Ryan stay at his rating is the real question.
Top 5 Quarterbacks
1. Tom Brady is the cover athlete and as expected, is the top-rated QB in the game. Even though he turns 40 before Madden 18 launches, the devs have decided that he’s the dude. It’s his diet, really. That’s what makes him so good. Also, very savvy. Brady was ranked no. 3 overall last year, and with Cam Newton going way down, he takes the top spot. Let’s look at his stats:
99 Overall
99 AWR
62 SPD
66 ACC
67 AGI
64 STR
2. Aaron Rodgers drops one spot from his no. 1 rank last year into the no. 2 spot, but he could be considere 1a. Rodgers will allow you to scramble if that’s your playstyle and he’s far better at throwing on the run than Brady. Personally, I think his awareness, agility and strength should be higher. At least higher than Brady’s. The guy can move.
98 Overall
97 AWR
79 SPD
82 ACC
82 AGI
58 STR
3. Matt Ryan’s MVP campaign elevated him from decent Madden QB to a top 3 QB in the game. Impressive, much like his deep throw accuracy. In Madden, you won’t have to worry about Matt Ryan’s offensive coordinator change, you can just plug him in and expect to connect on just about every pass. He had a 69% completion percentage last season. Nice.
96 Overall
96 AWR
72 SPD
81 ACC
69 AGI
63 STR
4. Drew Brees is still going strong and will bring a veteran presence to your squad. He may be okay to draft in a “win now” Franchise, or you can depend on him to hit Michael Thomas deep in some head to head play. Only Brees and Tom Brady have 99 awareness.
92 Overall
99 AWR
69 SPD
73 ACC
63 AGI
53 STR
5. Ben Roethlisberger was rated no. 4 last year, and now he’s pushed back one spot. This could be due to his declining yards, average touchdowns and accuracy over the last three seasons. That said, the returning Martavis Bryant should make the Steelers one of the most potent offenses in the NFL and Madden this year (as long as you aren’t on the road). Also, what’s his injury rating?
91 Overall
90 AWR
74 SPD
73 ACC
67 AGI
82 STR
Honorable mentions
Cam Newton, who was ranked no. 2 last year, is starting at 88 overall this season, while Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck are both sitting at 90 overall.
The Top 5 Rookies
1. It’s no surprise that the number one overall pick in the NFL draft is the top-rated rookie. The Browns’ Myles Garrett should be a rock at DE with plenty of room to grow. His strength and acceleration should help him blast off the line and through O-linemen. According to EA, his strength rating is top ten in the game.
83 Overall
70 AWR
84 SPD
90 ACC
83 AGI
96 STR
2. Doug Martin is looking strong, Mike Williams is a stud, the Bucs added deep threat, DeSean Jackson, now Jameis Winston has a first round TE to throw the ball to. O.J. Howard is a massive dude with high blocking ratings for a rookie that could be a fantastic franchise pick. He has tons of room to grow. He perfectly fits the new mold of prototypical TE. Big, fast, and can catch.
82 Overall
69 AWR
87 SPD
90 ACC
82 AGI
75 STR
3. After the T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory RB experiments went south, the Jags drafted Leonard Fournette 4th overall in the draft. He has his work cut out for him behind a line that was ranked 22nd overall by Pro Football Focus. As a franchise pick, he could go super late in fantasy drafts and could end up being one of the best backs in the lead. His acceleration and top speed is supplemented by a 92 truck rating. He’s going to be busting guys up at the line.
81 Overall
76 AWR
90 SPD
90 ACC
86 AGI
83 STR
4. The Jets drafted SS Jamal Adams with the sixth pick in the draft so they expect him to make an immediate impact on a defense that ranked 17th against the pass last season. The Madden devs are boasting his 90 power hit rating which should knock plenty of balls loose as he covers most of the field with his 91 speed rating.
81 Overall
72 AWR
91 SPD
90 ACC
86 AGI
78 STR
5. Christian McCaffery was drafted to supplement the Carolina run game, but can also catch the ball out of the backfield. His 75 catch rating puts him in the top 7 of running backs, and his ridiculous speed, acceleration, and agility mean he’s going to make people miss in the open field. His spin rating is 87 and he has a 92 juke. He’s going to be lightning to someone’s thunder, but can he handle the full load with a 52 Truck rating?
81 Overall
68 AWR
91 SPD
92 ACC
96 AGI
71 STR
Honorable mentions
Vikings rookie back Dalvin Cook is an 80 overall, and John Ross of the Bengals is the fastest man in Madden 18 with a 98 speed rating.
(Via EA Sports)
