Madden NFL 24 ratings revealed for Iowa Hawkeyes rookies
Becoming a playable character in a video game is a dream come true for all professional athletes. Few moments signify that you made it more than being forever immortalized in a video game.
We all grew up as kids playing sports games and putting ourselves into the game. I 100% spent hours on early Maddens and NBA 2Ks painstakingly trying to replicate myself in the game. I never quite ended up as that 6-foot-5 gunslinger of a quarterback, unfortunately.
Those days of long hours in the creation suite are over for these former Iowa Hawkeyes. For the first time in their lives, these five players are officially playable in Madden. Just like Joe Kingman in The Gameplan, these rookies can now have the satisfaction of leading the charge against their friends on the virtual field.
For Iowa fans, they can now play with five of their favorite former players in Madden 24. Rookies Lukas Van Ness, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, Riley Moss, and Kaevon Merriweather make their official video game debuts in Madden 24. Here is how they stack up to the rest of the competition.
Lukas Van Ness
Madden NFL 24 grade: 73
Hercules clocks in as a 73 overall in his Madden debut with the Green Bay Packers. While the pass rushers’ overall may not look too hot, there are a lot of great traits to build off of. Van Ness has the makings of an elite run defender early on, with 77 block-shedding to go alongside 81 strength and 83 pursuit. You better hope your offensive tackle can handle the bull rush as Van Ness boasts a 78 power move to go along with great speed (86) and acceleration (91).
Lukas Van Ness’ Madden player grade is a pretty great representation of who he is as a player coming into the league. There is a ton to work with here as a prospect, and with some time he can be a feature defender for your defense.
Jack Campbell
Madden NFL 24 grade: 75
Jack Campbell is tied for the seventh-highest-rated defensive rookie. A grade of 75 is not bad at all to start. While his speed may not be anything to write home about, Campbell has the potential to be a do-it-all middle linebacker. Already as a rookie with the Detroit Lions, he has some pretty dang good coverage stats (72 zone coverage) and he has some of the best hands at the position at a 69.
He has really good acceleration (90) and agility (88) to start, especially when you consider just how big he is. He truly looks like he could be the field general for your franchise team’s defense.
Sam LaPorta
Madden NFL 24 grade: 70
Unfortunately, Sam LaPorta did not get nearly the same love from the Madden developers as fellow rookies Dalton Kincaid and Michael Mayer. Funnily enough, Mayer has a point higher jumping despite doing worse than LaPorta in the jumping events at the 2023 NFL Combine. Sure!
With his great athleticism and good attributes after the catch, LaPorta has the potential makings of a RAC monster. If you really want to fully develop him into a superstar tight end though, you’re going to have to work on his catching (79) and route running. Seriously, Madden made it look like he’s just an athlete who never ran a route in his life.
Riley Moss
Madden NFL 24 grade: 70
Riley Moss is going to be a fun defensive back to develop and figure out where to potentially play. I was thinking he could be an athletic zone safety, but, man, that 50 tackling is beyond rough.
I can’t help but think of Moss as a potential starting slot corner. He has some pretty fantastic agility and acceleration, both at a 95. A great start here with the Denver Broncos.
Kaevon Merriweather
Madden NFL 24 grade: 63
Hello, Tampa Bay. It might not be the prettiest rating, but our man Kaevon Merriweather is in the game! He actually has a higher acceleration rating than Minkah Fitzpatrick, so take that! Please don’t look at his speed, though. He also has one of the highest hit power ratings at free safety with an 88.
Not to make too much of a leap here, but I think with a good amount of development, Merriweather could become a Jordan Whitehead-type of safety for your defense. They are actually quite similar from a physical and athleticism standpoint, but Whitehead, of course, has much higher coverage ratings. I’d definitely see if I could develop Merriweather’s zone coverage rating and try and build him into that sort of mold.
Of course, that’s asking a lot for a 63 overall player. So, to set more realistic expectations, he looks like he could be a solid special teamer for your franchise.
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