Madden 16: Cover, Top-Rated Rookies and Most Exciting New Features

Last year, Odell Beckham Jr. performed admirably for the New York Giants. He had 91 receptions, 12 touchdowns and 1,305 receiving yards in just 12 games. His efforts lifted him to stardom in the NFL, and that led to a victory over New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in the Madden 16 cover vote.

Is there a rookie in this year's class of first-year players who could make a similar impact? If so, there's a decent chance he could be among the top-rated rookies in this year's game.  

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Rating
1	Amari Cooper	WR	Oakland Raiders	82
2	Jameis Winston	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	81
3	Todd Gurley	HB	St. Louis Rams	80
3	Leonard Williams	DE	New York Jets	80
3	Brandon Scherff	RT	Washington Redskins	80
6	Dante Fowler Jr.	DE	Jacksonville Jaguars	79
7	Melvin Gordon	HB	San Diego Chargers	78
7	Kevin White	WR	Chicago Bears	78
7	Marcus Mariota	QB	Tennessee Titans	78
10	Vic Beasley Jr.	DE	Atlanta Falcons	77

Jameis Winston

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are handing Jameis Winston the ball as the starting quarterback from day one. There will be some rough periods because he's a rookie, but Winston has the potential to make a significant mark in his first year.

Winston showed a penchant for late-game heroics in his two seasons at Florida State University. The most memorable example of his clutch play came in the 2014 national championship game against the Auburn Tigers.

If Winston can create a few magical moments with the Bucs, he'll become a star.

Marcus Mariota

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Marcus Mariota guesses his rank in #Madden16—http://t.co/l6V3ZtpIfa #Titans #NFL pic.twitter.com/hhThMdAWnK

— Nashville (@SunTimesNASH) July 25, 2015"

There was a battle between Winston and the Tennessee Titans' Marcus Mariota to be the top pick in the draft. Winston obviously won that battle, but Mariota is still a major prospect. He'll be carrying a great deal of the Titans' hopes on his arm and legs. He was impressive in training camp, as Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated stated:

The early returns on his preseason work are also promising.

Mariota has speed to burn in real life and in Madden. He ran a 4.52 40-yard dash, and EA Sports awarded him an 88 in speed, a 90 in acceleration and a 90 throw-on-the-run rating. 

If you love mobile quarterbacks and you're looking for a young signal-caller to select in a fantasy draft in Connected Franchise, Mariota is your man.

Melvin Gordon

The St. Louis Rams' Todd Gurley is the highest-rated running back at an 80 overall, but the San Diego Chargers' Melvin Gordon is the back in the best position to shine. Gordon will likely be the man who gets the bulk of the carries for the Chargers. Gurley still has to prove he's better than Tre Mason, which won't be easy in Madden or in real life.

While Gordon is only rated a 78 to start, he's still an improvement over the poor backfield options the Chargers had last season. 

Because of this dynamic, Gordon has one of the chances to have a Beckham-like rise to stardom.

Most Exciting New Features

Draft Champions

Almost everyone loves fantasy football. With Draft Champions, EA Sports is looking to take the draft portion of the fantasy football experience and offer it to gamers on a nightly basis if they want it.

Draft Champions essentially allows gamers to draft a team to play through a four-game gauntlet to earn rewards. It starts out with selecting one of three coaches/playbooks. Once you have a scheme, the feature gives you a core of base players. Their ratings won't be the best, but you'll have an opportunity to update some of the positions on your team.

It's up to you to decide which positions to update.

The draft will last 15 rounds with two to three picks per round. Each draft will be different. Some of them will have more talented running backs, while another might have a wealth of elite pass-rushers. It's your job to pick the best team for your style and scheme. Here's a demo of the mode from YouTuber QJB:

Enhanced Presentation

Presentation hasn't always been EA Sports' specialty, but that could be changing. Per EA Sports, in addition to the use of monoliths, on-field cameras, wirecams and an upgrade in the living worlds initiative, this year, fans in stands will be wearing weather-appropriate attire.     

That attire will be official NFL-licensed threads. As you look at the images made available, everything seems to mesh well with the virtual environment. Overall, these enhancements appear to create a more realistic and exciting experience.

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