Pro football rookies are gearing up forMadden NFL 26by trying to guess their overall ratings a couple of weeks ahead of the game’s release. Rookies don’t tend to be the standout players in games in the football franchise, andMadden NFL 26isn’t likely to buck this trend, but some of these young players have very high aspirations.
Madden NFL 26is set for releaseon August 14, a little over a month after the launch of its college football counterpart from EA, which was released on July 10. August sales charts have a tendency to be dominated by theMaddenseries, and along withCall of Duty, the pro football franchise is one of the most consistently popular in terms of sales numbers, making the top 10 list compiled by NPD Group every year since 2010.
With that popularity in mind, and the recent release of the seven-player list ofMadden NFL 26’s 99 Club members, a lot of rookies are champing at the bit for the release of the OVR ratings, and some have very high expectations. A video released on the National Football League’s official Twitter page shows interview snippets of 15 incoming rookies from 13 different teams, and more than half of them are coming into their pro careers expecting to hit a minimum of 80 on the overall scale. The most confident of the bunch was outside linebacker Mike Green, who was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round and gave himself aMaddenrating between 90 and 92. Chargers running back Omarion Hampton also places a lot of value on his skills, anticipating a rating of 87. Other rookies estimating their starting skills at or above 80 include Giants linebacker Abdul Carter and quarterback Jaxson Dart, Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham, Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, and Saints offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.
NFL Rookies' Self-Predicted Madden 26 OVR Ratings
Numbers that high aren’t common amongrookie ratings in theMaddenseries. While players can make progression during and in between seasons,Madden NFL 25’s top-rated rookies at launch were Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Joe Alt, who were both given a 79 rating. A lot of the rookies interviewed seemed content with a rating somewhere in the 70s, including Chicago’s Shemar Turner, Dallas' Tyler Booker, Atlanta’s Jalon Walker, New England’s Will Campbell, and Baltimore’s Malaki Starks.
There was also a little bit of humility, with Cincinnati linebacker Barret Carter anticipating a 65 overall rating, which will give him “a lot of room to grow” and make improvements. Finally, Seattle quarterback Jalen Milroe seems completely nonchalant about the ratings, just wanting to be a goodmobile quarterback inMadden 26. “He can be a 40 as long as my guy can move and throw the ball,” he quipped.
