May 26, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper (89) at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oakland Raiders No. 4 overall Amari Cooper is the best incoming rookie if the Madden 16 ratings are correct. In a game that doesn’t give a whole lot of love to rookies, Cooper’s rating is 82. On one end of it, with 92 speed, 94 agility and 87 hands, the Madden folks can do better than that.
And of course, Cooper wholeheartedly agrees with me, saying, “That will go up.” But on the other hand, Raiders fans that play the game should actually be appreciative of the rating. I say that because no matter how good a player was on a team before being acquired by the Raiders, that rating always gets dropped way down once he gets to the Raiders.
So I’m actually shocked that they have the Raiders selecting the best player in the NFL Draft. The next highest is Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston at then a logjam of a host of players at 80. That host of players is running back Todd Gurley, defensive lineman Leonard Williams and offensive lineman Brandon Scherff.
Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr.’s rating is 79 but he’s a wash at this time because he’s out for the season with a torn ACL. Receiver Kevin White, running back Melvin Gordon and quarterback Marcus Mariota’s rating are 78. Then to round out the top 10, defensive end Vic Beasley has a 77 rating.
Of those, Beasley’s rating should be a little higher and Gordon’s rating should be much higher. I believe both Cooper and Gordon should have been given ratings somewhere in the mid 80s. You can accuse me of being a Raiders homer if you want but I despise the Chargers and willing to admit Gordon is a beast.
See the video below to see what the players think.