The 2019 NFL season may still be a couple of months away, but the team over at Madden is giving fans a small taste of the upcoming action.
EA Sports has released the Madden NFL 20 overall ratings for NFL rookies, including the Falcons’ seven draft picks. There are some interesting ratings for Atlanta's 2019 rookie class, but it's not surprising who is at the top of the list.
Here are the ratings for the Falcons' 2019 draft class:
| Player | Overall Rating | Awareness | Speed | Acceleration | Agility | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Lindstrom | 70 | 74 | 75 | 85 | 69 | 87 |
| Kendall Sheffield | 68 | 60 | 93 | 93 | 92 | 56 |
| John Cominsky | 67 | 55 | 82 | 84 | 81 | 84 |
| Kaleb McGary | 67 | 73 | 71 | 81 | 62 | 87 |
| Marcus Green | 65 | 57 | 92 | 91 | 86 | 60 |
| Jordan Miller | 65 | 65 | 89 | 90 | 86 | 50 |
| Qadree Ollison | 64 | 66 | 86 | 87 | 79 | 70 |
It's notable that Kendall Sheffield, the Falcons' first pick in the fourth round, has a higher grade than Kaleb McGary, who was selected with the 31st-overall pick. Sheffield's higher rating may simply come down to a high "speed" grade, as Sheffield was one of the fastest players in this year's draft and speed has been an important attribute in Madden over the years. The same logic applies to Marcus Green, who has shown flashes of his speed and agility thus far in Atlanta.
During Atlanta's three-day minicamp in June, Chris Lindstrom was seen taking snaps with the starting offense while McGary, Sheffield and Jordan Miller were often rotated in with the second-string groups. John Cominsky has been involved with multiple special teams groups, and he's seen work with the second- and third-team defensive units. Qadree Ollison and Green are two intriguing offensive pieces for the Falcons. Ollison might be in line for a bigger role out of the gate in Atlanta given what he can bring as a short-yardage running back, but Green should get a long look at both kickoff and punt return duties, and he has a lot of developmental potential as a receiver.
