The first round of the 2019 NFL Draft came and went, providing 32 95-98 overall players to Madden 19 Ultimate Team players on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
While the majority of the players weren’t much different than other similar overall options at their respective positions, there was still enough game-changing rookies entering MUT that it’s safe to say the top of the meta could see a variety of new faces in the coming weeks.
Let’s take a look at the newest cards to Madden 19.
Somehow the best user linebacker in MUT 19 was released with almost little fanfare, as the No. 26 overall pick quietly snuck into the final few rounds without so much as a peep from the community.
At 95 Speed, 97 Acceleration and 90 Agility, the 6-foot-6 monster is easily the best card to come out of the NFL Draft promo, and considering his relatively low overall, he’s stupidly cheap given his potential impact.
Sweat will likely play along the defensive line for Washington come the start of the 2019 season so it’s fair to say EA messed up with the positional designation, but that certainly works in favor of MUT users who were gifted one of the fastest and tallest linebackers in the game for an affordable price. 52 catching isn’t great, but that statistic isn’t as important when actually usering a player which is, well, the whole point in regards to Sweat.
This one was expected, as the No. 1 overall pick generally tends to be one of the best items in MUT upon release, particularly if the selection is a dual-threat quarterback who recently won the Heisman.
Kyler Murray’s height could prove troublesome with the Gunslinger mechanic, as even QBs taller than 5-11 occasionally rifle a pass in the neck of an offensive lineman, but that’s a small price to pay given Murray’s mobility (94 Speed) and excellent throwing statistics.
Much like Lamar Jackson, Murray isn’t all that much better than Ultimate Legends Michael Vick, but he’s good enough where users who may be tired of using the former Falcons QB have yet another option to pivot towards.
Devin White could also belong in this conversation, but Devin Bush’s +4 Tackling and +5 Hit Power slightly outweigh the latter Devin’s one inch less in height and one tick less in Speed.
Both linebackers will be excellent additions in the middle, but it’s worth pointing out the extreme absurdity between the two MLBs and the first player mentioned, Sweat.
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The difference in height (6-foot-0 for the MLBs, 6-foot-6 for Sweat) makes recording leaping interceptions significantly easier for the No. 26 overall pick, and with Speed being essentially equal, having the taller player is always the better bet when it comes to being an effective user in Madden Ultimate Team.
I’m not entirely convinced Marquise Brown is a must get, but with 98 stock Speed there aren’t many faster natural receivers in Madden Ultimate Team.
Theme teams have allowed players to receive Speed stats significantly higher than their initial card results, but that can also work in the inverse, meaning users intent on building Brown to be a receiving threat can tweak his receiving attributes.
NFL Combine John Ross is likely a better all-around speed wide receiver, but the No. 25 overall pick could also fit into that mold with a bit of schematic adjustments and also has that “new” card smell to it.
Interior linemen generally don’t play much different in Madden Ultimate Team, but at least in the case of Quinnen Williams, his stats sure seem promising.
83 Speed is more than acceptable for a defensive tackle, and a combination 96 Power Moves and 91 Finesse Moves essentially blow out the rest of his NFL Draft colleagues.
Ultimate Legends Mean Joe Greene still seems to be near the top of his positional group thanks to moderate advantages in Hit Power, Block Shedding and Pursuit, but if you’re of the opinion that having high states in both pass-rushing “moves” matters, you can do much worse than Williams.
Brian Burns rounds out the list of exceptional first-round picks based almost entirely on his 92 speed, which is three faster than any left end currently in the game.
The No. 16 overall pick is essentially a speed demon, but he has enough pass-rushing statistics that Burns figures to be a prime candidate to be chemmed up to perfection.