As we approach the Aug. 25 release date for Madden NFL 21 on current generation consoles, the makers of the game have teased gamers with the ratings for this year’s batch of rookie quarterbacks. That means our first taste of what it will be like to bring the talents of this year’s exciting QB class to the NFL.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: 76
A pretty reasonable rating for the No. 1 overall pick. For the sake of comparison, by the end of last season, Madden had upgraded Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals a fair bit after a strong second half of the year, and he still only sat at a 75.
Looking more closely at Burrow, his best characteristics according to Madden developers are his ability to break sacks, throw under pressure, accelerate in the open field, and throw the deep ball. Seems pretty fair. They also graded Burrow well for things like “toughness” and the ability to avoid injury, which seem hard to know right now, but are fine based on his time at LSU.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: 73
Most interesting to note here is how close Tagovailoa is to Burrow, despite the hip injury and the corresponding uncertainty that moved Tagovailoa from the No. 1 pick conversation in April’s draft. They are neck and neck in several categories, but it’s also fun to look at where Madden has Tagovailoa ahead of Burrow. Tagovailoa rates better for his “throw power,” as well as his ability to run play action, which both seem fair. While Tagovailoa will probably one day be one of the most fun QBs in Madden, we may have to wait a year or two.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: 71
Few will be subbing Love in for Aaron Rodgers in Madden any time soon. The game developers are playing it slow with Love, as will Green Bay. As in reality, Love rates a bit lower than the top two guys in the technical categories, while grading highly as an athlete and pure thrower.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: 70
Herbert has the highest “throwing power” rating of any rookie outside of Jacob Eason, and has the highest accuracy rating of anyone drafted in the first round, but has a rough 76 rating for deep-throw accuracy. Gamers will have to choose between Herbert and Tyrod Taylor when they use the Chargers this year, but when it comes to the prized rookie signal caller, Madden clearly isn’t high on him — yet.
Let’s round out the other big name players.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: 68
Jacob Eason, Indianapolis Colts: 63
Jake Fromm, Buffalo Bills: 62
A lot of these guys should be really fun to sling the ball around with as their careers go on, but might not be the best options if the goal is to win as a die-hard Madden 21 player.