There’s no better time than the start of the College Bowl season to start thinking about Madden 19 rookies and next season’s group of incoming young prospects. The newly crowned Heisman Trophy winner, QB Baker Mayfield, is only one many college prospects we’re looking forward to seeing in next year’s Madden title. So today, Madden School is bringing you our 10 Madden rookies to look forward to next season.
It’s easy to get excited for only the offensive skill positions such as QB, RB, and WR, but there are several defensive players that we’re excited about as well. Since we’re not entirely sure which players will be coming out for the NFL Draft, these are just a few “hopefuls” that the pros Madden School would like to see in the game next season. Here are our 10 rookies we’re looking forward to seeing next season, in no particular order, of course.
RB Bryce Love
Love was a Heisman Trophy finalist and is the latest RB sensation to come out of Stanford. Love rushed for more than 1800 yards and had 13 TD’s on the ground. Love has all the skills on tape, but we’ll see what grades he warrants from draft experts. Given his level of production this past season, Love promises to transition well into the Madden franchise. In only 12 games this season, Love had over 1900 rushing yards and 17 rushing TD’s on only 237 carries. That’s an incredible level of production that will serve his future NFL team very well. Love should come into the game one of the top rated offensive rookies.
QB Lamaar Jackson
Last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, QB Lamaar Jackson will definitely garner the attention of Madden NFL players everywhere. The Louisville QB is known for his athletic ability, most specifically his running ability. Be prepared for the hype machine that’s going to surround the incoming rookie QB in the coming months. We’ll have to see which round he’s expected to get drafted, some boards had him in the top 10, CBS Sports has him going first overall to the lowly Cleveland Browns, while other boards and mock drafts project he’ll go in the bottom of the 1st round. No matter where he gets drafted, we’re excited here at Madden School to see how well, or not, his skills translate to the Madden franchise starting next season.
ILB Roquan Smith
Roquan Smith should be the first ILB taken off the board, but it’s still very early to start predicting these picks. We do know that Smith is a stud ILB for the playoff finalist Georgia Bulldogs. Smith is currently projected to go in the top 10 in the 2018 NFL Draft, and the linebacker should transition well over to the NFL. We see Smith looking something like this year’s rookie ILB Ruben Foster of the 49er’s.
FS Minkah Fitzpatrick
Just behind Smith on the CBS Sports draft board sits Alabama FS Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Alabama safety is the latest top prospect to come out of the Tide defensive unit as his counterpart FS Eddie Jackson of the Bears was taken in the 2nd round of last year’s NFL Draft. Fitzpatrick is projected to go 6th overall at this time, and he should transition nicely to next season’s Madden NFL title.
QB Sam Darnold
The USC QB is likely to see his name called somewhere around the top 5 in next year’s NFL Draft, and he should enter the Madden rosters rated around a 75-78 depending on where he’s taken in the draft. The QB has decent mobility and his skill set seems eerily similar to that of QB Mitchell Trubisky’s. Darnold is of similar build and it looks like he can make all the throws.
QB Josh Rosen
The UCLA QB is also expected to be taken in the first round, and as is the case in recent drafts, him and Darnold could be numbers 1 and 2, respectively. Rosen is more of a stand in the pocket and throw darts type of QB who should also come into the new Madden game rated in the 75-78 range. The UCLA QB is expected to be one of at least 3 QB’s taken in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and should receive a fairly favorable rating depending on his combine and pre-draft workouts.
RB Saquon Barkley
The Penn St. RB reminds us somewhat of RB Leonard Fournette, the standout rookie for the resurrected Jacksonville Jaguars. Barkley didn’t receive a Heisman invitation, but nonetheless considered a top offensive prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft. Barkley appears to have all the tools needed to be a decent Madden NFL rookie RB. His size, speed, and ability to break tackles might lead to a higher rating than other rookie players.
WR James Washington
The Oklahoma State WR was a model of consistency during his college career, and that typically means a favorable draft grade from the experts. Washington played all four years of his college career and will enter the draft as a senior. Washington just seems to have all the necessary traits of a decent Madden rookie. In four seasons at Oklahoma State, Washington caught more than 220 passes with over 4,000 receiving yards and an impressive 38 TD’s. Washington should certainly make a nice addition to any offense in Madden NFL 19, and we look forward to seeing which team selects him in the NFL Draft.
DE Bradley Chubb
Chubb is yet another NC State pass rusher expected to be taken near the top of the first round of the NFL Draft (DE Mario Williams). The CBS mock draft currently has Chubb going number 8 to the Tampa Bay Bucs who desperately need a franchise pass rusher. The DE played all four years of his college career at NC State. Chubb accumulated 25 sacks and 6 forced fumbles in his college career. 20 of those 25 sacks and 4 of those 6 forced fumbles all came in the past two seasons. Impressive stats for the Senior pass rusher over a two year period.
QB Baker Mayfield
Last but not least is the Heisman Trophy winning Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield. Mayfield had a stellar season as he passed for more than 4,000 yards and 41 TD’s with only 5 interceptions. Perhaps an overlooked aspect of Mayfield’s game is his ability to make plays with his legs. The Oklahoma Senior QB had more than 300 rushing yards on 85 attempts this past season. Mayfield is currently projected to go 28th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, but something tells us here at Madden School that winning the Heisman Trophy this past Saturday might change his draft stock. Mayfield should translate nicely over to the Madden franchise, and depending on the talent around him on his new team, he could have a big impact in next year’s game.
Those are our top 10 Madden rookies that we’re watching closely and looking forward to seeing in next year’s game. Who are some of your top rookie prospects going into next year’s Madden NFL 19 title? Where would you like to see the top QB’s end up? Darnold with the Giants, perhaps? Jackson with the Browns, maybe? Feel free to share your thoughts and get the conversation started in the comments section below.
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