Before the NFL season officially kicks off comes another annual holiday of sorts: Maddenoliday.
You know the one; it’s the release day of the epic video game series “Madden Football.” This year’s edition, Madden 20, is expected to be one of the more revised and improved versions of the game in recent years, so naturally, fans are excited.
For Bears fans interested in some Madden intel, EA Sports released the player ratings for every team’s rookie. It’s franchise mode season.
Here’s how Chicago’s first-year players fare.
David Montgomery, RB
Overall Rating: 71
Speed: 84
Acceleration: 87
Agility: 85
Notes:
Montgomery’s overall rating isn’t great, but those are solid speed and acceleration scores. He’ll be a solid running back at the start of your franchise who certainly can evolve into much more than that. This isn’t the worst starting point for a third-round rookie.
Riley Ridley, WR
Overall Rating: 69
Speed: 86
Acceleration: 90
Agility: 79
Notes:
Ridley has surprisingly solid speed and acceleration scores, too. He wasn’t the most explosive player on tape at Georgia so it’s a bit shocking the Madden developers would value him this highly. Now, that’s not to say he’ll be an elite weapon in the game. At least, not at first. It could take a season or two of targets before you can rely on him as a go-to-guy in your Madden franchise.
Emanuel Hall, WR
Overall Rating: 67
Speed: 93
Acceleration: 94
Agility: 86
Notes:
Wow. As any experienced Madden player will attest, Hall is going to be a better target than Riley Ridley despite Hall’s status as an undrafted free agent. I’d understand if his CTH (catch) grade was much lower than Ridley’s, but it isn’t. He’s 79 compared to Ridley’s 83. It’ll be really awkward if you’re using Hall a bunch this summer only to find out the Bears cut him or stash him on the practice squad in early September.
Dax Raymond, TE
Overall Rating: 63
Speed: 82
Acceleration: 88
Agility: 77
Notes:
Back-to-back undrafted free agents rank higher than some of the Bears’ draft class. Again, that’s surprising. Raymond has a good chance at making Chicago’s final roster, but his average Madden ratings suggest he won’t be used as anything more than a backup tight end.
Kerrith Whyte, RB
Overall Rating: 63
Speed: 92
Acceleration: 89
Agility: 79
Notes:
Whyte will be a faster running back in Madden 20 than his rookie counterpart David Montgomery, and for some schooled Madden players, it may make him a preferred option. But his awareness grade (60) falls way below Montgomery’s 73, and even though neither mark is high, it should give Montgomery the edge when playing the game.
Duke Shelley, CB
Overall Rating: 62
Speed: 89
Acceleration: 91
Agility: 84
Notes:
Shelley will not only challenge for some legitimate slot reps as a rookie for the Bears, but he may get some reps in your franchise mode as well. Speed kills (as you can tell) in Madden, and Shelley scores pretty high in those categories.
For the complete Bears rookie Madden 20 ratings (and all of the rookie ratings throughout the NFL), click here.
