Madden 12: Cam Newton, Austin Collie and 4 Underrated Studs

Scouting evaluations are never a perfect science. The whole area is based on opinions and varying points of view.

One scout can look at a player and see a star, while another can look at the same prospect and call him a guaranteed bust.

The Madden crew tend to be spot-on more often than they miss but there are always a few players that slip through the cracks.

Cam Newton

The guys over at EA have historically erred on the side of caution when rating rookies, and there is no exception for the No. 1 overall pick this season.

Newton's 77 overall is slightly low, but it is largely due to his 72 medium accuracy as a passer.

His 49 awareness is mind-boggling, however, and will limit his effectiveness for his first season or two at the very least. Newton has a lot of physical strengths on the game, but the game totally underestimates where Newton is at right now in his development.

49 for awareness is crazy when you consider that Tim Tebow even got a 69.

Austin Collie

Austin Collie, for my money, is the next great possession receiver in this league provided he can stay healthy.

Collie gets a 79 in this year's Madden. A 79?

Either someone over at EA really values the effect of concussions on the performances of football players long term or someone over at EA has been getting repeatedly hit to the head too.

Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford has been on the field for a very limited time throughout his NFL career, but what the Lions have seen so far has been very impressive.

The fact that he is rated as only an 80 on Madden this year is nothing short of a travesty.

For all of his injury issues, Stafford's actual value and ability on the field should not be affected. Durability is the only concern with Stafford, but Madden makes him out to be just another average quarterback with a 71 awareness and only an 81 throwing accuracy.

Stafford has proven in the preseason that he is more accurate than that, and even in his career before that he showed better accuracy than that.

Ben Tate

Ben Tate is obviously not a proven name amongst NFL circles, but his overall rating of 69 is shambolic.

Tate had shown enough in college to have a better rating than 69.

His 68 elusiveness is a bit low, while his 48 awareness is a disaster. Tate will probably end up in the late eighties in his prime, but he is better right now than the Madden scouts have evaluated him.