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The off-season calendar is about as predictable as the game of football often times isn’t. This time of year, the news is either centered around bad off-season developments like injuries and looming holdouts, or it’s about the newest installment of the Madden video game franchise.
This year’s game has some new features and as always, it has some new players. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2019 draft class will get to see themselves through the lens of Madden staffers for the first time, and fans of the team will get to impact the career paths of the same.
Ratings go up and down throughout the season, but the initial ratings release is always interesting as it gives just a little insight into how the EA staff felt the team’s did in their quest for building a championship roster.
If you haven’t seen them yet, here is the Bucs’ rookie class in all it’s Madden ratings glory:
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74 is a little low for what I thought the Madden 20 developers would peg Devin White at out of the package, but as we all remember, the selection of White wasn’t a unanimously approved one.
In fact, many stated the case for drafting Kentucky’s Josh Allen or even Houston’s Ed Oliver ahead of White. And those simmering embers might be reignited upon finding out Madden 20 has Allen (77) and Oliver (79) both rated higher than White.
The fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft comes in 19th in the list of Madden 20 ratings among rookies when it’s all said and done. But he and Devin Bush (72) are the only two middle linebackers rated above 70, so perhaps there’s some vindication there.
As far as the secondary is concerned, Sean Murphy-Bunting’s name is correct and his rating (72) is third among cornerbacks coming in just behind Byron Murphy Jr. (75) and Greedy Williams (73).
Fellow rookie cornerback Jamel Dean landed at 68 for his rating and came just one point shy of giving Tampa Bay two Top-10 rookie corners. Buccaneers fans looking to play tight-man coverage on Madden 20 will be happy to know both Murphy-Bunting and Dean got speed ratings above 90, so they’ve got speed to maintain coverage and catch-up if needed.
One of the more intriguing prospects this mini-camp and OTA season has been wide receiver Scott Miller. And his 66 overall rating might not impress at first glance. But his 94 speed, 93 acceleration, 86 agility, 81 catch, and 78 catch in traffic means he’s a guy who could certainly be used in a niche role to help you dominate once the game drops later this month for certain pre-orders and in early August for the rest of us.
More Madden 20 is to come, and it means we’re closer and closer to all of football coming back! Drop your thoughts on these initial ratings below, and let us know where Madden got it right and where they got it wrong!