2017 Madden Rookie-Ratings Are Out, How Do Browns’ Rookies Rank?

This time of year brings happiness in many fashions, and a not insignificant one is the yearly release of the Madden football game series, which this season enters it’s twenty-seventh consecutive year of production. For those of you who are so inclined, the rankings for this year’s rookie class has been published, and the Browns’ number one overall pick Myles Garrett (not surprisingly) has the highest ranking. His teammates David Njoku and Jabrill Peppers also cracked the Top 20.

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Garrett comes in at number 1 with a rookie rating of 83. He also is reported to have among the highest strength ratings in the entire game at 96. This stands to reason given his impressive performance at the combine during which he put up 33 bench reps. He also chips in with a speed rating of 84 and an acceleration rating of 90. These are very impressive numbers for a rookie (and rare combinations of strength, speed and acceleration). Since his AWARENESS ranking is only 70, it’s probably safe to say that his overall rating will improve quickly just with that metric alone increasing, to say nothing of power/finesse moves.

Njoku is the 2nd highest ranked TE, tipping the scales with a 78 ranking, four points below OJ Howard, the rookie TE for Tampa Bay who was draft 10 spots ahead. Howard is the 2nd highest ranked player in the draft, and if you look at the rankings at the bottom of the 1st round draft board, his was among the highest. This would seem to indicate that Madden thought the TE class was as loaded as I did, and that Howard and Njoku were clearly the best two available (even though Evan Engram, with a 75 rating, was drafted 6 spots ahead).

Peppers is a SS, and comes in with a rating of 76, exactly the same as fellow safety Malik Hooker, who was drafted by the Colts ten spots sooner. Incidentally, the highest rated safety on the board (or in the real draft) Jamal Adams, is going to be a force with a 91 speed rating, a 90 hit power, and an 82 Tackle. Peppers’ numbers aren’t as impressive, but the good news is you can always increase individual ratings in Franchise Mode.

Below is a list of the player rankings, the position they were actually drafted at, and as an added bonus, where DBN had each player taken during our spring community mock:

This year, for the first time, they also video’d the rookies receiving the news of their rankings - after they had a chance to guess what they were in advance. Browns’ 2nd round QB DeShone Kizer represents us here as well:

What do you think? Are are guys well represented here? The game becomes available for purchase August 25th.