"Cam Ward at 71 is crazy": NFL fans react to Madden 26's rookie ratings

Madden started revealing NFL rookies' player ratings in the Madden 26 game on Wednesday. Mykel Williams, Ashton Jeanty, Travis Hunter, Cam Ward were among the rookies featured in the video Madden posted on social media.

Hunter, the two-way player the Jacksonville Jaguars selected at No. 2, is the highest-rated first-year player with an 84 rating. While that might not surprise many, Madden made some interesting revelations that got NFL fans talking.

One of the biggest surprises was that Ward, the No. 1 pick, was given a rating of 71. He is the only player who was selected in the top-five who had less than a 79 rating.

It was also odd that Ward got a lower rating than Cam Skattebo, who was selected in the fourth round.

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Let's look at how NFL have reacted to Madden 26's rookie ratings.

"No reason why the #1 pick should be lower than a 4th rounder. And I love Skattebo obviously," one fan said.

"No way they gave the #1 pick a 71. For example, they gave Jameis an 82 as a rookie, Trevor Lawrence a 78, and Joe Burrow a 76. Like this is criminally low for a 1st overall pick?! He also has 5 years of college stats with 2 4000-yard seasons," another fan wrote.

"They did Cam Ward dirty," a fan commented.

"Ward at 71 is crazy 🤣," one fan tweeted.

"Cam Ward is the most disrespected #1 pick in NFL history," another fan commented.

"Cam Ward should’ve at least been a 75 lmfao," a fan said.

With the addition of new and intriguing rookies, football fans and video game lovers are anticipating the official release of Madden 26.

Who are the top 10-rated rookies in Madden 26?

Travis Hunter received the highest rating of any rookie, 84, in the latest version of the Madden 26 video game. He was also given one point more than No. 6 pick Ashton Jeanty.

Here are the 10 top-rated rookies in Madden 26.

WR/CB Travis Hunter (84 rating) - Jacksonville Jaguars - No. 2 pick
RB Ashton Jeanty (83 rating) - Las Vegas Raiders - No. 6 pick
LB Abdul Carter (81 rating) - New York Giants - No. 3 pick
DT Mason Graham (80 rating) - Cleveland Browns - No. 5 pick
OT Will Campbell (79 rating) - New England Patriots - No. 4 pick
LB Jalon Walker (79 rating) - Atlanta Falcons - No. 15 pick
DT Kenneth Grant (78 rating) - Miami Dolphins - No. 13 pick
CB Jahdae Barron (78 rating) - Denver Broncos - No. 20 pick
DE Mykel Williams (78 rating) - San Francisco 49ers - No. 11 pick
CB Maxwell Hairston (78 rating) - Buffalo Bills - No. 30 pick

About the author

Habib Timileyin has been an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda for 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English, and found himself drawn to the NFL about a decade ago.

Habib's favorite team is the Cincinnati Bengals and he particularly enjoyed their run to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season. The 2016 Super Bowl between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots is his most favorite of all time, and if given a chance to go back in time, he would love to witness the Patroits’ incredible comeback from being 28-3 down to winning 34-28.

Habib admires Tom Brady for his journey from being in a low draft position to achieving immense success in the game. His favorite coach of all time is Bill Belichick.

Habib likes to study intricate details of a story before reporting on it, and compares information among several reputable sources to ensure accuracy. When he's not writing about the NFL, Habib is likely watching Soccer, Basketball or enjoying a good movie on sports.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez