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‘Madden NFL 20’ Ratings For Former Penn State Football Stars

EA Sports released its player ratings for “Madden NFL 20” on Monday, including those for the numerous Penn Staters currently listed on NFL rosters. The newest edition of the popular video game series will be released on August 2.

This year, EA Sports slightly tweaked its ratings system in an attempt to make the NFL’s elite players stand out in the video game. However, the core concept behind ranking players is the same: Every player in the NFL is given an overall score from 1 to 99 based on their real-life abilities. These overall scores are a weighted average of dozens of specific traits, including strength, speed, and agility.

Certain attributes won’t impact a player’s overall rating because of the position they play. For example, a running back won’t be punished for having a low tackling rating as much as a defensive lineman would, and defensive linemen don’t get punished as much for having a bad ball carrying score.

The ratings released by EA Sports won’t stay the same all season. All 32 NFL teams’ rosters are updated every week throughout the season, and players’ ratings will increase or decrease based on how well they perform. If, for example, Saquon Barkley rushes for 150 yards and three touchdowns in a game, he’ll probably get a two-or-three point boost to his overall score in the weekly roster update.

Here’s how some of the Nittany Lions in the game were rated in “Madden NFL 20.”

Rookies

Trace McSorley received an overall score of 55 to start his NFL career. The Baltimore Ravens’ sixth-round pick’s best stats are his 88 and 87 ratings for acceleration and speed, respectively, and he also received an 84 for throwing power. Penn State’s all-time winningest quarterback also got an 87 injury ratings, which reflects the toughness and ability to stay healthy he showed throughout his college career.

At 72, 66, and 66, McSorley’s short, medium, and deep passing accuracy scores aren’t as high, and 55 strength seems criminal for a quarterback who was always able to run through defenders after scrambling out of the pocket.

Elsewhere, Miles Sanders checks in as the highest-rated rookie from Penn State at 72 overall. Sanders’ 89 speed and 90 acceleration are solid for a first-year running back, and his 83 and 79 ratings for juking and spin moves, respectively, seem appropriate. The new Philadelphia Eagle has plenty of room to improve his 78 ball carrier vision and 82 vision.

New Dallas Cowboy lineman Connor McGovern earned an overall score of 64 in his “Madden” debut and an 88 strength rating. He’s listed as a right guard in the game, but he was always a versatile option on the offensive line during his college career. Defensive backs Amani Oruwariye and Nick Scott in at 68 and 60 overall, respectively. Scott has his old teammate beat in terms of speed and acceleration — his 90 and 92 scores in the categories top Oruwariye’s 89 and 87.

Veterans

Last year, Sean Lee was the highest-rated Nittany Lion in “Madden” and the best Dallas Cowboy in the game, but he’s fallen off his perch as age has caught up to him. That said, 84 overall is definitely still a respectable score, and his 86 tackling and 91 awareness make him a viable option to use on the Dallas Cowboys’ defense.

Lee has been toppled by the new king of Penn State football in “Madden” — the one and only Saquon Barkley. Barkley’s rating went up by nine points to 91 overall in this year’s game after winning the NFL’s Rookie of the Year award and routinely dominating defenses. The star back’s 92 speed and 93 acceleration are both the same as last year’s, and he’s now the fifth-best running back in the game.

Although Barkley is a well-documented animal in the weight room, “Madden NFL” doesn’t seem to care. His strength rating of 81 is actually a downgrade from his rookie mark of 82. I really don’t understand how anyone can think a 22-year old NFL star is able to get weaker over the course of a calendar year, but I guess that’s just the way life goes sometimes. At least the game puts some respect on Barkley’s hurdling abilities with a 93 jumping score.

Mike Gesicki got a downgrade of two overall points in this year’s game. The 75 overall tight end made his “Madden” debut at 77 overall, but he struggled to get a rhythm going with the Miami Dolphins during his rookie year.

Meanwhile, a pair of Gesicki’s old wide receiver teammates got overall boosts in “Madden NFL 20.” Chris Godwin got a two-point upgrade to 81 overall after hauling in 59 passes for 842 yards and seven scores for Tampa Bay last season, and DaeSean Hamilton is now 73 overall after starting his NFL career with 243 yards and two touchdowns on 30 receptions with the Denver Broncos. Hamilton was 72 overall at the start of “Madden NFL 19,” and his catching score got a three-point upgrade to 82 this year.

Former Penn State safety Adrian Amos is now 87 overall in “Madden,” which is a three-point downgrade from his rating last year. Amos moved from the Chicago Bears to Green Bay to play for the Packers after signing a four-year, $37 million deal as a free agent, and his zone coverage and play recognition scores of 89 and 87, respectively, reflect the intelligence that have helped him become one of the NFL’s best safeties.

Allen Robinson, Amos’ old teammate at Penn State and with the Bears, got a one-point downgrade from his “Madden NFL 19” rating to 86 overall. The man famous for making “The Catch” for Penn State in the 2013 White Out game has an impressive 94 rating for spectacular catching, and he’s still one of the 25 best receivers in the game despite his slight downgrade.

Speaking of receivers, Chris Hogan is down six overall points from last year’s game and now rated 77 overall. The former Penn State lacrosse star moved from New England to the Carolina Panthers in the offseason, and it seems the impact of not having Tom Brady throwing passes to him already took its toll — at least on his “Madden” rating. Tight end Jesse James is up to 78 overall after making his move from the Steelers to the Detroit Lions in the offseason.

Other notable ratings include:

  • Kicker Robbie Gould, San Francisco (85 overall)
  • Cornerback Trevor Williams, LA Chargers (78)
  • Outside linebacker Carl Nassib, Tampa Bay (75)
  • Offensive guard Stefen Wisniewski, Philadelphia (66)
  • Middle linebacker Jason Cabinda, Oakland (64)

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About the Author

Mikey Mandarino

In the most upsetting turn of events, Mikey graduated from Penn State with a digital & print journalism degree in the spring of 2020. He covered Penn State football and served as an editor for Onward State from 2018 until his graduation. Mikey is from Bedminster, New Jersey, so naturally, he spends lots of time yelling about all the best things his home state has to offer. Mikey also loves to play golf, but he sucks at it because golf is really hard. If you, for some reason, feel compelled to see what Mikey has to say on the internet, follow him on Twitter @Mikey_Mandarino. You can also get in touch with Mikey via his big-boy email address: [email protected]

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