Blake Bortles tops Johnny Manziel as best rookie QB in Madden 15

By Rick Marshall July 25, 2014

Read our full Madden NFL 15 review.

Former University of Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles was the first signal-caller chosen in this year’s NFL draft, beating out flashy Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater to be the first college QB to take the stage at Radio City Music Hall back in May. Several months later, the Jacksonville Jaguars QB still sits atop the recently released rookie quarterback rankings in EA Sports’ Madden NFL 15.

EA Sports revealed the top-ranked players at each skill position on offense and the top rookie players in the upcoming edition of its Madden NFL game franchise this week, and with a 78 overall rating, Bortles is the top-ranked rookie QB in the game. Of course, that’s still quite a bit lower than the ratings assigned to the game’s best QBs, with Denver Broncos veteran Peyton Manning topping the rankings with a 98 overall score. Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers also comes in with a 98 overall rating, but lags slightly behind Manning in a few categories.

Among the other takeaways from the Madden NFL 15 rankings: Detroit Lions wide-receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson appears to be the top-rated player in the game, with a 99 overall score.

It’s also interesting to see Russell Wilson, QB of the current NFL Champion Seattle Seahawks, rank right alongside veteran all-pro New England Patriots QB Tom Brady. Both players have an overall rating of 93 in the game.

EA sports’ Madden NFL 15 hits shelves August 26.

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Madden NFL 23’s ‘no-brainer’ cover star is John Madden

John Madden bursts through the cover of Madden NFL 23: All Madden Edition.

EA has confirmed rumors that Coach John Madden will be the cover star of Madden NFL 23.
John Madden, who had a long career as both the coach of the Oakland Raiders and a football analyst, died in December 2021. EA is honoring Madden -- the namesake and inspiration behind its highly successful football game franchise -- by renaming a recently renovated field at its Redwood Shores headquarters to the "John Madden Field" and putting him on the cover of Madden NFL 23. There will be three unique covers, including one by artist Chuck Styles for the digital-exclusive Madden NFL 23 All-Madden Edition.

Speaking to Digital Trends, executive producer Aaron McHardy said that EA typically looks at the most exciting and Madden brand-aligned athletes in the NFL when choosing a cover star. But he says there wasn't much of a debate about who would headline the next game after the team learned of Madden's death.
"I don't even think there were discussions as everybody just arrived at the fact that he's going back on the cover because we have to honor him in the best way we possibly can," McHardy said. "It's been so long since he was on the cover of the game, but the game has got his name on it every single year, so we wanted to do everything we could to honor the legend like he is, and it was a no-brainer to put him on the cover."
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"I didn't have the pleasure of speaking with him, but I know a lot of the guys on the team did." McHardy continued. "He was invested in making sure that our game was the most authentic 11v11 football game that it could be. It was obviously a sad and somber moment to lose someone like Coach Madden, but it really energized the team in a way this year to think about our features, what we're building, and how we can honor that legacy." Madden NFL 23 will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S later this year.

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Madden 22 | Official Super Bowl LVI Prediction (feat. Marshawn Lynch)

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