Madden 16: Analyzing Player Ratings and Team-Specific Cover Themes

Photoshop and GIMP users have always had a ball with custom video game covers, but Matt Steller of Steller Covers took the concept a step further. Every year, EA Sports has a contest with representatives from each NFL team vying for votes from the Madden community to earn the honor of becoming the cover athlete.

Each season, 31 fanbases won't see their guy on the cover. Steller has changed that. The freelance graphic artist took it upon himself to create custom covers with a representative from each team. How good is the work?

If you didn't know any better, you would think that each one of Steller's creations was the official cover for this year's game. Take a look at the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Jameis Winston and the Tennessee Titans' Marcus Mariota.

Pretty slick, right? To see more NFL stars on the Madden cover, courtesy of Steller, check his Twitter feed. He's like a machine as he continues to create alternate looks for the game's cover.

Player Ratings Bonanza

Speaking of star players, EA Sports has begun its massive player ratings reveal. It began with the top rookies in this year's game. The Oakland Raiders' Amari Cooper is the highest-rated rookie in the game at 82 overall. Here's a look at the top rookie ratings in the game and each one's best attribute.

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Rating	Best Attribute
1	Amari Cooper	WR	Oakland Raiders	82	87 Catching
2	Jameis Winston	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	81	95 Throw Power
T3	Todd Gurley	RB	St. Louis Rams	80	91 Trucking
T3	Leonard Williams	DE	New York Jets	80	90 Block Shedding
T3	Brandon Scherff	RT	Washington	80	89 Run Block
6	Dexter Fowler Jr.	DE	Jacksonville Jaguars	79	89 Acceleration
T7	Melvin Gordon	RB	San Diego Chargers	78	91 Speed
T7	Kevin White	WR	Chicago Bears	78	88 Catching
T7	Marcus Mariota	QB	Tennessee Titans	78	90 Throw on the Run
10	Vic Beasley Jr.	DE	Atlanta Falcons	77	88 Speed

How did the rookies feel about their ratings? Take a look at this hilarious video from EA Sports as a handful of them guess their ratings and then react when they find out their actual marks in the world of Madden NFL 16.

Cooper, Aka Young Jerry Rice

Credit: EA Sports

Besides his great catch rating—by rookie receiver standards—Cooper doesn't have a bunch of other ratings that are ridiculously high. Like Rice—though not quite on that legendary level yet—Cooper is above-average in every category that defines a great receiver.

If you're using him in a Connected Franchise, he'll be a guy you want to hold on to for the long haul. His potential could be close to a 99 overall rating.

Jameis Is the Top Young Arm

Credit: EA Sports

Madden ratings czar Donny Moore has Winston as the top QB prospect. With the quarterback at an 81 overall, only Cooper has a higher rating among first-year players.

Winston's 95 throw power is impressive, as is his 88 short-throw accuracy. I do have to wonder how Winston wound up with a 73 speed and 81 agility rating. There were moments when he scrambled during his time at Florida State University when he looked to be moving at a pace that would warrant a 67 and a 77 in those ratings, respectively.

Oh well, that's what ratings updates are for. At any rate, the rookies look great in the game, and most gamers can't wait until they get a chance to put the rookies and established stars through the paces.

You can see all of the revealed player ratings at EASports.com. Madden 16 releases for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 on Aug. 25.

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