Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, Caleb Downs, Full Madden NFL 27 Rookie Class Ratings Revealed

The Madden NFL 27 ratings rollout continued on Tuesday with the reveal for the incoming rookie class.

No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza checks in at a 74 overall, but he is looking up at Jeremiyah Love and Caleb Downs tied at 82 overall for the best rating among all rookies in the game.

Most pre-draft rankings had either Love or Downs as the No. 1 player in this year's class. B/R's NFL scouting department had them ranked first and second, with Downs getting the edge.

The 82 overall rating for both Love and Downs is the third-highest for rookies in the last eight years of Madden NFL games. The only rookies that received a higher initial rating both came last year when Travis Hunter was an 84 and Ashton Jeanty was an 83.

Mendoza's rating is tied for 49th among all rookies and tied for 29th among all first-round picks. New York Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq (No. 16) and Houston Texans guard Keylan Rutledge (No. 26) also received a 74 rating.

Ty Simpson, arguably the most debated selection in the entire 2026 class, is the lowest-rated first-rounder at 71 overall.

Mendoza did receive a better rating than 2025 No. 1 overall Cam Ward got in last year's game. The Tennessee Titans quarterback was a 72 when the initial ratings came out.

One player EA Sports appears to be very high on is KC Concepcion Jr. The Cleveland Browns wideout is a 75 overall, but he has four skill traits with a rating over 90 including speed (91), agility (91), change of direction (91) and injury (92).

Madden NFL 27 will release for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows and Nintendo Switch 2 on Aug. 13. EA Sports MVP+ members will receive early access starting on Aug. 6.