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The first round of 2018’s NFL Draft is in the books – and with impressive speed EA has already made all 32 players available in Madden 18 Ultimate Team. It means, for instance, that five fresh quarterbacks are immediately available for you to flesh out your fantasy roster. Just in case you slept through the entire thing, they are Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns), Sam Darnold (New York Jets), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals), and Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens).
Mayfield’s status as the first overall pick unsurprisingly makes him the best new player available, with an OVR of 99 on his 'Future Star' card. That may seem like an outrageous rating, but we’re already at the end-game stage of Madden 18 with its successor, Madden 19, due in August – so it’s inevitable that this draft class feels a touch overpowered. Expect more realistic MUT attributes ahead of next season’s campaign.
First-round running back options aren’t quite as plentiful as signal callers, but there are still three for you to select from should you have sufficient in-game coinage: second overall pick Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, plus Seattle Seahawks’ Rashaad Penny and New England Patriots’ Sony Michel.
Below are the key 'Future Star' card ratings for the quarterbacks and running backs mentioned above, plus other notable names from the first round – such as the first players selected at cornerback (Denzel Ward, Cleveland), defensive end (Bradley Chubb, Denver) and wide receiver (DJ Moore, Carolina). All have more affordable 'Rookie' cards in the game too, which are generally rated 10 OVR points less than the 'Future Star' version.
QB: Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns)
Overall 99; Speed 81, Acceleration 85, Agility 78, Awareness 97, Passing Accuracy (Short) 97, Passing Accuracy (Mid-range) 95, Playaction Passing 90, Throwing On The Run 94.
QB: Sam Darnold (New York Jets)
Overall 98; Speed 72, Acceleration 79, Agility 74, Awareness 99, Passing Accuracy (Short) 98, Passing Accuracy (Mid-range) 96, Throwing On The Run 90.
QB: Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
Overall 97; Speed 80, Acceleration 86, Agility 79, Awareness 95, Passing Accuracy (Short) 93, Passing Accuracy (Mid-range) 91, Playaction Passing 86, Throwing On The Run 96.
QB: Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals)
Overall 97; Speed 68, Acceleration 78, Agility 72, Awareness 97, Passing Accuracy (Short) 96, Passing Accuracy (Mid-range) 96, Playaction Passing 96, Throwing On The Run 84.
QB: Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
Overall 95; Speed 88, Acceleration 93, Agility 95, Awareness 93, Passing Accuracy (Short) 91, Passing Accuracy (Mid-range) 88, Playaction Passing 88, Throwing On The Run 92.
RB: Saquon Barkley (New York Giants)
Overall 98; Speed 95, Acceleration 96, Agility 92, Strength 79, Carrying 96, Spin Move 95, Trucking 94, Juke Move 97.
RB: Rashaad Penny (Seattle Seahawks)
Overall 95; Speed 95, Acceleration 97, Agility 97, Strength 70, Carrying 95, Spin Move 91, Trucking 78, Juke Move 92.
RB: Sony Michel (New England Patriots)
Overall 95; Speed 92, Acceleration 94, Agility 96, Strength 77, Carrying 94, Spin Move 93, Trucking 78, Juke Move 95.
WR: DJ Moore (Carolina Panthers)
Overall 95; Speed 95, Acceleration 96, Agility 97, Catching 88, Spectacular Catch 96, Release 95, Elusiveness 93, Catch in Traffic 93, Jumping 96.
CB: Denzel Ward (Cleveland Browns)
Overall 98; Speed 97, Acceleration 97, Agility 96, Man Coverage 98, Zone Coverage 94, Play Recognition 96, Catching 84, Pursuit 82.
DE: Bradley Chubb (Denver Broncos)
Overall 98; Speed 83, Acceleration 93, Agility 87, Strength 97, Tackling 94, Block Shedding 94, Play Recognition 97.
G: Quenton Nelson
Overall 97; Strength 96, Acceleration 81, Agility 68, Run Block 93, Pass Block 98, Awareness 96, Speed 68, Agility 68.
Madden 18 is out now on PS4 and Xbox One. Already looking ahead to next year’s game? Then check out our countdown of the 10 athletes most likely to make the cover of Madden 19.
