You can wonder no longer. Many have speculated on what former Ohio State defensive end Chase Young’s initial rating in the popular EA Sports Madden NFL franchise video game would be, and now we know. He has been given a rather subdued rating of 80, though with a bit of an asterisk.
Young simply dominated college football in 2019. He led the country in sacks with 16.5, won the Bednarik Award for the best defensive player in college, was a consensus First Team All-American, and got an invite to New York as a Heisman Finalist.
So where have other players with similar profiles been set at? We can start with another former Buckeye, defensive end Nick Bosa from last year. His first Madden rating was a little lower at 78. His brother Joey came in with a first-rating of 84 in 2016, significantly higher.
As far as other defensive ends coming out that had a ton of buzz, Jadeveon Clowny was set at an overall rating of 83 for his first season of 2015. The Cleveland Browns Myles Garrett was also assigned an overall rating of 83 by EA Sports in 2018.
When you look at the comparables, you have to question why Young is lower than others that have come out with comparable or even less decorated college careers.
Now, it should be noted that Young is the highest-rated rookie of all, and he has Superstar-X Factor development abilities that can increase his rating as play continues, but that beginning number still seems a little off. It is no doubt a safe bet for a guy that has yet to play a snap in the NFL.
I guess it’s up to Young to prove them all wrong (and you too with your controller). Bosa did it last season and now has a rating of 89, just one year later. That too seems a bit low in the current state of his assault on NFL quarterbacks last year, but it’s the on-field performance that matters.
