Most people's focus is currently on the upcoming release of EA Sports' College Football 25 video game, and rightfully so.
But all this talk about a football video game has my brain wondering what the opening ratings will be for many of the top Indianpolis Colts players.
Below is my prediction for some of the most notable Colts players on the upcoming Madden 25 video game.
Top 10:
Though the category is titled Top 10, I have eleven players below, thanks to a tie coming for 10th place.
1. Quenton Nelson, LG: 92
2. DeForest Buckner, DT: 89
Buckner ended last season as an 86, which I think is criminally low for one of the best defensive players in all of football. If I were making the ratings myself, I'd probably have Buckner at around 92. But Madden has typically come in a few points below my expectations for Buckner, so I landed on an 89 for the Colt's top defensive player.
3. Jonathan Taylor, RB: 87
4. Michael Pittman Jr., WR: 86
Pittman Jr. is coming off a career year and ended the season as an 86 on Madden 24. I think that's where he should begin this year as well. If he and Anthony Richardson can complete a healthy season together, I think he could be in for another career season.
5. Kenny Moore II, CB: 85
6. Grover Stewart, DT: 84
7a. Braden Smith, RT: 83
7b. Bernhard Raimann, LT: 83
Raimann ended last season as an 82, which was one of the craziest ratings on this Colts roster, in my opinion. Raimann has shown himself to be one of the most promising young LTs in all of the NFL. I have him starting out as an 84, which would be the best of his career, and I wouldn't be shocked if he is able to be a big riser in the rating near the end of the upcoming season.
9. Ryan Kelly, C: 82
10a. Zaire Franklin, LB: 80
Franklin is coming off a career season, and if it weren't for his injury, he likely would have led the NFL in tackles. He's one of the best run stopping LBs in the NFL, and I think he deserves his first-ever 80 rating in Madden.
10b. Julian Blackmon, S: 80
Other Key Players:
Here are my predictions for some other notable players who fell just outside my top 10.
Matt Gay, K: 79
Josh Downs, WR: 79
Samson Ebukam, Edge: 79
Ebukam was the Colts sack leader last season and, in my opinion, was the clear 2nd best defensive lineman on a solid Colts group last year. He ended last season with a 77 rating, but I think he deserves a bump based on his production last year.
Anthony Richardson, QB: 78
The league didn't get to see much from Richardson last season. But he made a big impression in the little snaps he had. I think his dual-threat ability will lead to his rating being higher than the 74 he finished with last season. And I think he will probably have one of the biggest rating improvements by the year's end of the league.
Kwity Paye, Edge: 78
Will Fries, RG: 78
E.J. Speed, LB: 77
Dayo Odeyingbo, Edge: 76
Rigoberto Sanchez, P: 76
Juju Brents, CB: 76
Jaylon Jones, CB: 74
Rookies:
Below are the nine players the Colts drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft and the rating I think they begin the year with.
Laiatu Latu, Edge: 77
77 is a pretty high rookie rating on Madden, but the top defensive players drafted often lead the way in terms of ratings. Last season, the top-edge rusher drafted earned a 78, and I think Latu will end up with a similar rating after being the first defensive player drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Adonai Mitchell, WR: 75
Like top edge rushers, the top rookie WRs often have fairly high ratings compared to other rookies. Mitchell fell into the 2nd round, but many viewed him as a 1st round talent. And if the reason truly was due to some teams having questions on the character concerns that some reported (and Chris Ballard vocally disagreed with), he will probably end up as one of the highest-rated 2nd round picks.
Matt Gonclaves, OT/G: 70
Tanor Bortolini, C/G: 70
Anthony Gould, WR: 68
Speed: 90+ Kick/Punt Returning: 90+
Jaylon Carlies, LB: 67
Jaylin Simpson, CB/S: 69
Micah Abraham, CB: 66
Jonah Laulu, DT: 65
