Madden Ratings Make Rookie QB Look Good
Cole McDonald used pre-draft training as more than just a way to work on his skills. He also measured himself against some of this year’s top prospects.
McDonald trained under former NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer along with Joe Burrow, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, another first-round selection, Jordan Love, and others. All the while, he kept score in whatever way he could.
“It’s competition at the end of the day,” McDonald said on draft day. “Having those guys around me and being around those guys is a blessing to just be in that position to see what the first-round pick of the draft is. Where (Burrow) at versus where I’m at. Where all those quarterbacks are working at, what it takes, what does it really take to be an NFL quarterback.
“It was a huge blessing being around those guys, in the same room, on the field. I feel like in terms of my game, it made my game elevate to the next level. Just being friendly competition at the end of the day, being able to look at what you need to work on and being able to isolate that, taking something from somebody else and applying it to be the best that you can be. It was super awesome.”
Given that, the Tennessee Titans’ seventh-round pick has to feel good about how he measures up against the rest of this year’s rookie quarterbacks – virtually, at least.
EASports has released its Madden 21 player ratings for this year’s rookie quarterbacks and wide receivers, and McDonald, a two-year starter at Hawaii, is tied for eighth among the quarterbacks with a 60 overall rating. He was the 10th of 13 selected at his position this year but has the same overall rating as James Morgan, a fourth-round choice by the Jets out of Florida International, and a better rating than Jake Luton, a sixth-round pick by Jacksonville out Oregon State.
McDonald got an 89 for accuracy and an 86 for speed, both of which tied Heisman Trophy runner-up Jalen Hurts, a second-round selection, and Tyler Huntley, undrafted out of Utah, for the top spot in each category. He also is in the top five in throwing power with an 88.
He takes a big hit in awareness, where he got a 58.
The Titans were one of nine teams that did not draft a wide receiver this year.
“For this next level, being able to read defenses is a huge critical thing,” McDonald said. “Being able to identify different players in certain packages is going to be a big thing. I’m ready to learn. I’m ready to get all the information and be a sponge and soak it up. I’m excited to get out there and become a better football player.”
