There are few things worse than being years deep in your Madden franchise as a perennial 6-10 team with your core players just another year older. Winning is everything, no one wants to be the Cleveland Browns of their own digital NFL fantasy. That’s just some weird, masochistic stuff right there. Sicko.
So, who should a new GM draft in Madden 17‘s deep-as-ever Franchise Mode? We’ve crunched the numbers and simulated at least 10 years into the future just under a dozen times. While there were outliers, there are specific players that consistently were sticking around and playing at elite levels in the year 2021 and 2026, respectively. We want to share them with you.
Now, as we know, player success on the field leads to XP (experience points), which leads to better progression, so you don’t want to lose too early if you can help it (we assume you’re not being cheesy by playing on Pro difficulty and going 16-0 every year).
We also know that there are many ways to draft the fantasy Franchise of your dreams (or fantasies). What if you have a top pick or a mid-round pick or, god forbid, a late pick? Through these many simulations, I’ve distilled the mountain of information Madden has given me down to these methods of drafting:
- The “Good O-Line, Crappy QB” method.
- The “Take Whoever Is The Best Available” method.
- The “Go Young Or Go Home” method.
Each one of these methods will provide a contender within five years, but the Good O-Line, Crappy QB method proved to be the best. Past round 8-10, the formula is pretty much: Overall + Age + System Fit = Draft ’em. Build for a system once you’re out of the first 8 rounds or more. Before that, build the best starting lineups you can.
These guys are going to do you well for many years to come. A lot of these are going to be “duh” picks, but many of the players you’d think would be worth drafting (Rob Gronkowski, for example, is hurt too often) are bigger problems than they’re worth.
Let’s take a closer look at how to draft each position.
QUARTERBACK
The method I use most often is the Good O-Line, Crappy QB method. Unless you have a top pick, you’re just not getting anyone worth having.
So, you can be mediocre, or you can tank while developing a well-rounded team, then draft a good, young QB who will thrive behind a stout O-line. Still, if you’re so inclined, and have a top 10 pick, here are the best QBs a decade down the line consistently (you won’t see Cam Newton’s name here — he ends up being hurt a lot in the future):
- Derek Carr
- Andy Dalton
- Andrew Luck
- Russell Wilson
If you want to wait on drafting a quarterback, try to get one of these guys if you can (unless you’re going zero QB) between rounds 3-6:
- Jared Goff
- Jameis Winston
- Marcus Mariota
- Carson Wentz
RUNNING BACK
You shouldn’t draft a running back. You should just wait, wait, wait. Seriously, wait, and add one from free agency. But these are the best options if you just can’t help yourself and simply must draft one. But don’t do it.
- Le’Veon Bell
- Ezekiel Elliott
- Devonta Freeman
- Lamar Miller
- Todd Gurley
By 2020, in each league I simulated, there was a top 10 filled with ancient Adrian Peterson (he’s still around! Don’t draft him!) and a potpourri of 80-84 overall players that are doing just fine for their teams.
WIDE RECEIVER
As the years go on and your franchise progresses, you’ll absolutely be able to pull together a decent amount of wide receivers via the draft. There’s a lot of talent to develop. But you need at least one of these guys to lead your WR corps into the future.
- Jarvis Landry (consistently the best WR value for your Madden 17 franchise)
- Mike Evans
- Julio Jones
- Sammy Watkins
- Martavis Bryant
- Alshon Jeffery (he gets hurt a lot, but he’s a game-changer)
- Doug Baldwin
- Jermaine Kearse
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- Randall Cobb
- Michael Floyd
- Martavis Bryant
- Josh Gordon (In two leagues, Gordon stunk. In three, he developed into a decent deep threat, peaking at 85 OVR.)
OFFENSIVE LINE
There will be a healthy amount of offensive line options deep into the draft, and you can always shift them around without taking a big statistical hit. These men, however, should last you nearly a decade and be elite doing it. The best part is that you should be able to draft all of them no matter where your starting pick ends up being.
Try to get a few of the elite picks in the first 10 rounds, then wait and fill up your O-Line with cheap studs. They will elevate your crappy QB and mediocre running back. Here is the line I ended up using:
-G Kelechi Osemele
-LG Jack Mewhort
-C Travis Frederick
-RG Zack Martin
-RG Trai Turner
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
Adding a couple of these studs on your squad should anchor your defense for years to come. Of course, if you have a top 15 overall pick, you can get the gold standard in Luke Kuechly, then build from there. While there will be a lot of cornerbacks available past round 10, taking an elite CB early is, in my opinion, the most important position for your defense. Be fluid. Always be so fluid.
Darius Slay is also a great early pick to set your secondary up for success.
Other stud defensive options that panned out well over the next 10 years:
-LB Myles Jack
-MLB Jaylon Smith
-ROLB Christian Jones
-LB Vic Beasley
-CB Ronald Darby
-CB Jason Verrett
-CB Malcolm Butler
-CB Chris Harris Jr.
-CB Patrick Peterson
-CB Desmond Trufant
-CB Logan Ryan
-FS Byron Jones
-S Kenny Vaccaro
-LE Cameron Jordan
-LE Khalil Mack
-DE J.J. Watt
-DE Robert Quinn
-RE Olivier Vernon
In my drafts, a combination of the Go Young and O-Line methods led to the best success. The teams will usually lose their first two seasons, then by year five, you’ll be set up with a young squad coming into its prime while rallying around a few elite, young draft picks at the QB and WR position.
Of course, injuries and random events will happen. Anything is possible in this wild world of football simulation, but these picks and these methods should get you on the right track.
