Yes I keep my promises. This took some serious time to put together but after Joe Burrow it got me excited to finish everyone else that the Bengals drafted. Obviously these are not official scores but I think they will all be pretty close.
Tee Higgins – Estimated Overall Rating: 76
Justification: In Madden 2020 the highest WR rating was Hollywood Brown with a 77. This WR class was DEEP which is why Tee Higgins fell to 33. Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb will likely score higher than 77 because they are more highly rated than Brown and better players quite frankly. K’Neal Harris went #32 last year to the Patriots and got a 74. D.K. Metcalf received a 76 and I think Higgins was a better talent. Bottom line, he could be higher.
Logan Wilson – Estimated Overall Rating: 70
Justification: This one might be a little high actually but it is hard to tell. Before you jump me hear me out. Wilson was a third round pick so you need to look at rounds 2 and 3 for comparisons. Takitaki (#80) received a 70 last year, Tavai (#43) was a 69, and Polite (#68) was a 72. LBs generally do not get a great grade in their first year and Madden makes them earn it. I could also see them going 68 here is a prove-it type of scenario. Wilson is going to start the first snap of the season so he will certainly go up.
Akeem Davis-Gaither – Estimated Overall Rating: 68
Justification: I think that this one might be pretty spot on. I know we feel that Davis-Gaither was a steal in the draft, and he probably was. The bottom line is that he was a 4th rounder so you have to respect that. In Madden 2020 LB’s in the 4th round were hard to come by. The only score was a 69 by Tranquill and a Anthony Nelson with a 66.
Khalid Kareem – Estimated Overall Rating: 65
Justification: The funny thing about DE’s they are either taken early or late. They are either going to be highly touted and be potentially over drafted or be a steal late. Kareem is kind of in between that since he was taken in the 5th round this year. 65 is right in that sweet spot between 4th round and 6th round picks.
Hakeem Adeniji – Estimated Overall Rating: 59
Justification: You think that rookie linebackers get no love? Well tackles past the second round are definitely in that boat. Once you get to the 6th round you are topping out at 60 in Madden 2020. I have to stick to this with Adeniji as well just to be fair. Generally these guys get higher scores on the run or pass block which allows them to accelerate more throughout the season and Adeniji has a large upside in talent. He is also not expected to start so that will hurt his Madden score growth at least for the first season.
Markus Bailey – Estimated Overall Rating: 59
Justification: This kid has been a media darling on the local circuit since getting drafted by the Bengals. This will not be translated into a higher Madden score though and 59 overall falls right into line with all other 6th and 7th round picks. While Bailey has a good chance of making this roster because of our lack of depth at LB he is not going to be crowned a higher score because of that. Nowhere to go but up buddy!