Madden 22 Rookie Ratings: Kyle Pitts Receives Top Rating of Rookie Class
Some of the first Madden player ratings for the upcoming game have been recently revealed. Among them, viewers were able to see some of the notable Madden 22 rookie ratings, including first pick Trevor Lawrence, and the Chicago Bears’ rookie QB, Justin Fields. However, it wasn’t a quarterback claiming the best rating for this year’s rookies, but instead a tight end. That honor goes to the Atlanta Falcons’ rookie, Kyle Pitts.
ESPN special revealed Madden 22 rookie ratings
On Sunday, July 25, ESPN SportsCenter presented a Madden 22 Ratings Kick-Off Show. The half-hour program, hosted by Laura Rutledge, featured former wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and ESPN NFL analyst Mia Kimes.
While a teaser clip made it seem like we might only see one player rating, there were several revealed during the special including stars Julio Jones and JJ Watt.
The first of the Madden 22 rookie ratings also arrived for the game during the special, showing off some of the top-rated newcomers. As mentioned, Atlanta Falcons tight end, Kyle Pitts, leads all rookies with an 81 overall in the new game.
In the top 30 for total receiving yards last NCAA football season, the former Florida Gators TE ranked at No. 27 with 770 yards. He was the only tight end amongst wide receivers in the top 30.
Madden handed out a 78 to the No. 1 pick, Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars. His number seems to be second-best overall. After that, the notable rookies were all 76 or under.
Some of the rookies below were made available in Madden 21 Rookie Premiere including Pitts and Lawrence. They may be popular options when Madden 22 comes out. The Madden 21 Rookie Premiere program gives Ultimate Team gamers an exchangeable token for a high-rated rookie in the new game.
During the ESPN special, Ochocinco and Mia Kimes also talked about the ratings. Kimes said she believes the 49ers’ rookie quarterback Trey Lance has a better chance to shine with his team than QB Justin Fields does currently in Chicago.
Ochocinco also mentioned that he believes the New York Jets’ new quarterback, Zach Wilson, has that “it” factor and even called him “Patrick Mahome-ish.” However, Ochocinco clarified that he wasn’t quite calling him Patrick Mahomes, just that he saw some similarities in his playing style.
Jones led all college players last year in total passing yards with 4,500 yards thrown for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Lawrence ranked eighth overall with 3,153 yards for Clemson.
NFL rookies react to their ratings in EA’s game
The Madden 22 rookie ratings are a hot topic for fans and also the players themselves. During the special, ESPN revealed a video of various rookies trying to predict their ratings, then reacting to the actual numbers. The segment appeared in a tweet on Madden’s Twitter page as well.
In the video, many players were surprised by specific attributes coming in lower than they anticipated. That included Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn who felt he should be an 84 for Man Coverage. He came in at 74 for that attribute, surprising him quite a bit.
“They see how many catches I gave up my last season in college? What are y’all not seeing?” Horn asked in the video.
Broncos CB Patrick Surtain was also shocked to see his Awareness wasn’t a 95, but instead a 75.
“Y’all dead wrong. Maybe change that,” Surtain said.
Corner Asante Samuel, Jr., who will suit up with the Los Angeles Chargers was pinpoint accurate as he guessed he’d have a 92 Speed in the game.
While most players guessed too high, it seems the Jets’ Mac Jones set the bar for himself a bit low.
Jones predicted he’d be a 66 overall in Madden 22 and was pleasantly surprised by his 71 OVR.
“It’s all right. It’s not about where you start, it’s where you finish,” Jones said in the video below.
Madden 22 officially arrives on August 20, 2021, for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, Steam, and Google Stadia. See our Madden pre-order details for information on ordering the new game.
Visit VGR’s Madden page for more updates about player ratings in the EA game.