Ten NFL players whose Madden NFL 20 ratings are surprising
AP
NFL players reacted this week to their ranking and other players’ rankings on the new EA Madden NFL 20 game. Below, we break down 10 players who were not highly-rated in their recruitment but had impressive ratings for the new video game. Here are some thoughts and memories of their recruitment as well:
RELATED: Ten players whose EA Madden NFL 20 ratings are not surprising
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals100 | Position | Team | State
EA rating: 99. Mack was a two-star linebacker out of Fort Pierce (Fla.) Westwood. He was considered a basketball recruit at first but after a knee injury in his sophomore season he turned to football.
Recruiting: Mack had a big senior season but the only school to offer was Buffalo and that’s where he played his college football.
Farrell’s take: Mack developed late and no one wanted to take a shot on him aside from Buffalo and now he’s emerged as one of the best players in the NFL. Anyone who said that they saw this coming is lying.
EA rating: 99. The three-star prospect was one notch away from a four-star ranking in the 2010 class, he was rated as the No. 37 defensive tackle nationally and No. 14 overall in the Pennsylvania state rankings.
Recruiting: In the spring before his senior season, the Western Pennsylvania prospect committed to Pitt over his other offers - Akron, Rutgers and Toledo.
Farrell’s take: I’ll take the heat on this one as I thought Donald was a bit short and not long enough to be a four-star. Boy, was I wrong. He was one spot away and I held him back, a very dumb move.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH PITTSBURGH FANS AT PANTHER-LAIR.COM
EA rating: 99. Wagner was a two-star prospect in high school and so he was not ranked by his position or in the California state rankings.
Recruiting: Utah State was the lone offer for the Ontario (Calif.) Colony outside linebacker before he went on to become a second-round NFL Draft pick.
Farrell’s take: No one saw this one coming either. He wasn’t heavily recruited and wasn’t a kid that jumped out on film, but he’s another late-bloomer who used the disrespect to spur his development.
