Sometimes, something so obvious presents itself, and it just makes sense—almost too much sense. Like all the sense in the world. Other times, it makes no sense. Misses the mark. Makes no sense at all sort of thing. You get the gist This article will address the latter.
As the 2024-25 NFL season wraps up, the EA Sports' Madden video game franchise essentially gave its final update on the ratings of the players in the game. While Madden ratings typically bring baggage, controversy, and complaints along with them, the rookie ratings have specifically caught our attention and must be addressed ASAP.
The final rookie ratings for Madden were released, and the top five features standouts, such as Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders, Jared Verse of the Los Angeles Rams, Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders, Quinyon Mitchell of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Bucky Irving of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While all five of those young studs have been a revelation for their respective team, there's one name clearly missing: Malik Nabers of the New York Giants.
Top 5 rated rookies according to @eamaddennfl 👀
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 27, 2025
Which other rookie needs to be on this list? pic.twitter.com/rOtk7VjAGA
Malik Nabers doesn't finish in Madden's top 5 rookies for 2024-25 season
No offense to the five players here who finished in the top five, they were great. However, leaving Nabers out of the top five is an absolute crime. This kid set franchise records with Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle throwing him the football. Think about that for a second. As Gisele Bündchen once said, "He can't throw and catch the ball."
For context, Bowers caught 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. Nabers had 109, 1,204, and seven, respectively. How does Nabers not finish 1b to Bowers' 1a? These questions demand answers!
Nabers can only catch what's thrown his way, making his rookie campaign all the more impressive. And while, at times, he probably wished he was the one throwing the football, he caught a lot of those passes coming from... backup quarterbacks.
Nabers is a finalist for NFL Rookie of the Year, how irresponsible is it that the Madden video game couldn't even recognize a finalist as a top-five rookie rating at season's end? The late, great John Madden likely wouldn't stand for this. He was known for his passion and his relatability to fans, and it's not irrational to wonder what opinion he'd have about leaving Nabers out of the top five.
Unfortunately, at the end of the day, this is just more fuel to Nabers' fire. Seemingly, everyone is discounting the Giants at every corner. It's a shame, really. The rookie sensation, now heading to his first Pro Bowl, will have a whole offseason to make these ratings look outright silly. We're here for the Nabers revenge tour.