Preview of each Virginia player’s ratings in EA Sports’ Madden NFL 18

The newest version of EA Sports Madden NFL 18 game hits shelves on Friday, but we’ve got a sneak peek at the ratings. Below, you’ll find all of the Virginia Cavaliers represented in the game, with their overall ratings and some key ratings for their position.

Despite the struggles on the field, the Hoos are still well represented in the NFL these days, but very few of them are more than just backups or journeymen. That said, we’re still interested to see how they are represented in the game.

We’re going in order of overall rating.

Morgan Moses, OL, Washington Redskins

Moses is the top rated Hoo, and he deserves it. He’s been a mainstay on the Redskins’ OL since about midway through his rookie season. He has started every game over the past two years and has established himself as one of the Redskins best players. You can see he’s a better pass blocker than run blocker, which makes sense since the Skins have had a strong passing game the past two years and have not particularly strong on the ground. Moses is the 8th best right tackle in the game and 19th best offensive tackle overall.

Chris Long, DE, Philadelphia Eagles

Long is actually tied with his new teammate Rodney Mcleod for second best Wahoo in Madden 18. His 80 overall rating is a testament to how good he’s been in his career. The 86 injury rating doesn’t make a lot of sense considering his history, but he was healthy last year. It shows how tough he is and how strong and relentless he is.

Rodney McLeod, FS, Philadelphia Eagles

McLeod had a breakout year two years ago with the Rams and continued his strong play last year. He’s best coming forward and making plays in front of him. He’s very quick and has good instincts. As the ratings show, he’s not going to cover a TE one-on-one, but he’s very strong as a cover-2 DB.

Dontrelle Inman, WR, San Diego Chargers

Because of injuries, Inman was thrust into the starting lineup for the Chargers and proved to be a capable possession receiver. He finished with 58 catches for 810 yards and four TDs. As the ratings show, he’s a possession guy who isn’t going to do a ton after the catch. He runs strong routes and has good hands. Perfect for a 6’3” guy with good, but not elite, speed.

Ahmad Brooks, OLB, San Francisco 49ers

Though past his prime, Brooks is still a useful player and a projected starter for the Niners. He isn’t the pass rusher he was four or five years ago, but he’s become a good all-around LB as evidenced by his good scores in awareness and play recognition. The 49ers are bad, but their defense could be decent this year.

Oday Aboushi, OT, Seattle Seahawks

Though listed in the game as a tackle, Aboushi is likely to be used on the inside by the Seahawks. In the real world, he’s probably fighting for a starting gig at one of the guard spots. In Madden, he’s probably the starting RT, because the Seahawks OL is bad. He doesn’t really excel at anything, but he’s solid in pass protection.

Branden Albert, OT, Jacksonville Jaguars

Though we know Albert retired, then unretired and is now listed on the inactive list, he’s still in the game. His ratings show how far his reputation has fallen. Though his individual skills in run and pass blocking are still outstanding, he is dinged for poor effort and attitude.

Cam Johnson, DL, Cleveland Browns

Johnson is listed in the game as a RE, but he’s a 3-4 OLB for the Browns. Last year was the first time in his career that he’s been able to produce at the NFL level. He’s dinged in his ratings for the lack of experience and for a poor injury history. His athleticism is decent though.

Cedric Peerman, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

One of the problems with Madden has always been its handling of specialized players. Peerman is really not an NFL-caliber RB. That is shown in the 349 yards he has totaled over seven seasons (almost all of that in 2012). However, he is an excellent special teams player and that is why he has remained on the Bengals roster. That shows in his speed and acceleration ratings, but not in the tackle rating. He has made 76 special teams tackles (along with two forced fumbles) in 90 games. That isn’t somebody with a 32 in tackling. The high ratings he gets in spin move and juke move are almost irrelevant. He is the fourth RB for the Bengals and unlikely to see the field on offense.

John Phillips, TE, New Orleans Saints

Phillips is a bit of a journeyman, now with his fourth team over nine seasons. He’s totaled 55 receptions at just 7.1 ypc. That explains the low speed and catch ratings. He has decent blocking stats for a TE and that is really his bread and butter. He’s also off the charts on toughness, which shows his willingness to stick his helmet into a defender while run blocking.

Luke Bowanko, C, Jacksonville Jaguars

The injury rating doesn’t make a lot of sense, considering Bowanko missed the entire 2016 season with a hip injury. He’s given credit for his size and strength, but his blocking and technique aren’t great. This is probably accurate, and is why he’s been a backup for most of his career. This rating seems pretty accurate. He’ll probably work in at all 3 interior lineman spots for the Jags this year.

Matt Schaub, QB, Atlanta Falcons

At 36 years old, Schaub’s best years are behind him. He still gets credit for being a savvy guy, perfect as a backup QB. He’s given decent ratings for Accuracy, which was always his calling card. The low ratings for speed and strength are not surprising, considering he was never particularly mobile and he’s getting old. The overall rating is disappointing, but if Matt Ryan gets hurt, the Falcons are definitely in trouble.

Brent Urban, DL, Baltimore Ravens

Overall, Urban is real nice. For a career backup, Urban has put together a decent NFL career. He’s entering his 4th season, and though he’s rarely on the field for more than a handful of plays each game, he’s totaled 21 tackles and three sacks in 22 games. He’s also blocked two kicks (no doubt aided by his 6’7” frame). His athletic profile is pretty solid for a DL with decent speed and quickness. The strength is a bit low for a DL though, which is probably accurate and likely what has kept him on the bench. The awareness ratings are disappointingly low for a guy who’s been productive when he’s been on the field.

Eli Harold, OLB, San Francisco 49ers

Like a number of these guys, Harold’s athletic profile is very strong, but his awareness and technique is the problem. Harold has not been an impactful player in the NFL yet, so this rating is accurate. He’s still just 23 years old, so improvement is expected. With his speed and strength ratings, he’s the type of player that is better in Madden than in reality. But as he gets coached up, his ratings should improve.

LaRoy Reynolds, LB, Atlanta Falcons

Reynolds’ athleticism has never been in doubt, which explains the speed and acceleration ratings, but does not really explain the lower agility rating. Still, the combination of power and speed should make him a good MLB. The low ratings in awareness and play recognition are what hurt him badly. This rating seems unfair to a guy who has been fairly productive both on defense and on special teams during his career. But maybe it explains why a guy with his combination of speed and athleticism hasn’t really ever cracked the starting lineup.

Anthony Harris, S, Minnesota Vikings

Anthony Harris proved in limited playing time last year that he could be a useful DB in a cover-2. He’s a smart player with good speed and quickness. He struggles in pass coverage though, which is shown in these ratings. He is a very good special teams player, though, which you can see from the high pursuit rating. Harris has a chance to be a good NFL player as he gets stronger.

Maurice Canady, CB, Baltimore Ravens

Canady has been almost exclusively a special teams player, and the ratings he has in pursuit and tackle show how good he would be there. The coverage ratings are very low, and explain why he isn’t being used very much at CB. The speed and agility ratings also mean he’s probably not bad as a returner, which is also someplace he could be used.

Max Valles, DL, Buffalo Bills

We all know that Valles left school too early. If he’d hung around another year, he would’ve been a better draft pick and likely a better NFL player. He was way too raw to make an impact in the NFL. This is shown in the low awareness and play recognition ratings. And this is why he’s one of the lower rated players in the NFL. His speed and quickness are outstanding for a guy his size, but his technique and understanding are lacking. That’s holding back in the real world as well as in Madden.

TaQuan Mizzell, RB, Baltimore Ravens

As an undrafted free agent, you wouldn’t expect Smoke’s ratings to be very good. They’ve given him a decent athletic profile, though the agility is probably too low. The catch rating is also too low, but they’ve been fair to him in vision and his moves. This rating will go up as he gets his NFL career going. With his pass receiving skills, he’s an ideal 3rd down back. That’s going to be hard to replicate in Madden though.

Darius Jennings, WR, Tennessee Titans

Jennings’ role is really more as a KR than as a WR. The Titans aren’t exactly stacked at WR, but they have enough depth there that Jennings isn’t likely to get on the field there. But as a KR he’s proven to be a decent player. He’s also strong in kick coverage. The speed, acceleration and agility, along with kick return and elusiveness show how good he could be in that role. But the low awareness rating along with route running and catching show that he’s simply not a very good WR. All of that is pretty accurate.

David Dean, DT, Cincinnati Bengals

If you look at just the athletic profile and toughness ratings, Dean seems like a perfect DT. He’s strong and quick and tough. But he is severely dinged for his football IQ. A 45 awareness is terrible. And it probably makes him almost unusable in Madden, unless you are controlling him. Dean actually spent last year on the practice squad, and is not a lock to make the team this year.

Others

Canaan Severin (Pittsburgh Steelers), Eric Smith (Miami Dolphins) and Keeon Johnson (New York Giants) are listed on their respective teams’ rosters, but are not in the game. Based on reports out of camp, Severin and Smith have real chances to make their respective teams. Johnson was likely looking at the practice squad before breaking his foot. He’s on IR.