Madden 16: Breaking Down Revealed Rookie Ratings for Anticipated NFL Video Game

With Madden NFL 16 set to be released on Aug. 25, EA Sports is starting to entice fans of the franchise by releasing some of the always anticipated player ratings.

Monday saw the revealing of the game's top 10 rookies on EASports.com, with Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper leading the way. Madden ratings always make for a divisive topic, but essentially predicting how players will perform before ever competing in an NFL game is an extremely difficult task.

Now that some of the NFL's top newcomers have been assigned initial ratings, here is a rundown of the 10 that have been revealed thus far, along with further analysis regarding the best of the bunch.

Revealed Rookie Rankings

Player	Position	Team	Rating
Amari Cooper	WR	OAK	82
Jameis Winston	QB	TB	81
Todd Gurley	RB	STL	80
Leonard Williams	DE	NYJ	80
Brandon Scherff	OT	WAS	80
Dante Fowler	DE	JAC	79
Melvin Gordon	RB	SD	78
Kevin White	WR	CHI	78
Marcus Mariota	QB	TEN	78
Vic Beasley	DE	ATL	77

Analyzing Top Madden Rookies

Amari Cooper

Wide receiver Amari Cooper accomplished a rare feat last season at Alabama by working his way into the Heisman Trophy conversation. His 1,700-yard campaign led to him becoming the No. 4 overall selection in the draft by the Oakland Raiders and now the highest-rated rookie in Madden NFL 16.

Cooper leapfrogged quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, as well as defensive end Dante Fowler, all of whom were taken ahead of him. It is tough to argue with the decision, though, since many viewed the former Crimson Tide standout as the most NFL-ready prospect available.

Madden's development team clearly has a lot of faith in Cooper, but he isn't exactly satisfied with his rating, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com:

"That'll go up," Cooper said.

The progression of Cooper's rating will have a lot to do with the continued development of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. He showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie last season by passing for an impressive 3,270 yards and 21 touchdowns.

He should continue to get better thanks to the addition of a dangerous weapon such as Cooper, and it stands to reason that the people at EA Sports won't be able to ignore that combination for long.

Jameis Winston

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers invested heavily in quarterback Jameis Winston when they took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He is expected to not only become one of the best signal-callers in the league, but also the face of the Bucs franchise.

To add just a bit to the pressure the former Heisman Trophy winner is already under, Madden NFL 16 gave him a lofty rating of 81, which is second overall among rookies and first among quarterbacks. He is a full three ratings points above Tennessee Titans debutante Marcus Mariota.

Like Cooper, though, Winston isn't thrilled with his rating, as evidenced by this GIF courtesy of Complex Sports on Twitter:

Unfortunately for Winston, it is generally tougher for quarterbacks to transition to the NFL than wide receivers. That has been especially true lately with rookie wideouts such as Odell Beckham of the New York Giants, Sammy Watkins of the Buffalo Bills, Mike Evans of the Bucs and several others making an instant impact last year.

That isn't as common when it comes to quarterbacks, but based on Winston's powerful arm, big frame and track record of success, he has as good of a chance as any signal-caller in recent memory to be effective at the NFL level right away.

Todd Gurley

Running backs haven't exactly been a hot commodity in the NFL draft over the past few years, but that changed in 2015 as Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon were first-round selections of the St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers, respectively.

Some were apprehensive about Gurley since he is working his way back from a torn ACL, but that didn't stop the Rams from taking him at No. 10. It also didn't stop Madden NFL 16 from making him the top rookie rusher and third-best rookie overall with a rating of 80.

Gurley's talent level is off the charts, and he may very well have won the Heisman last season at Georgia if not for the injury and a suspension for violating NCAA rules.

He racked up a ridiculous 911 yards and nine touchdowns in just six games, so it is easy to understand what the Rams and Madden developers see in him.

If Gurley proves himself to be healthy entering the 2015 season, then opposing teams figure to see a heavy dose of him since running the ball and playing great defense will be St. Louis' biggest keys to making noise in the difficult NFC West.

Provided that happens, Gurley's rating of 80 is poised to go up in a hurry.

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