Season 83's Under The Radar: 13 Players to Watch for Going Forward
by JAMoney14 | 1 year ago | 0 Comments
Quarterback
Maxx Duggan | Los Angeles Chargers | 61 OVR, 22 Y/O
Maxx Duggan enters the league from a stacked QB class, taken in the 7th round by LAC, one that should spit out at least 4 long-term franchise QBs. Duggan was a long term starter at TCU and led them to crazy heights, including the national championship in 2023. Duggan flew under the radar for a few reasons, he's not a pro style quarterback and he was also not very good his first 3 years as a starter.
That said, Maxx is 22 years old and has a lot of super enticing physical tools, including 88 speed, and a respectable 88 throw power. Duggan may not be anyone's first choice, but in the right hands, he could legitimately have a shot to develop into a cheap but talented long-term QB. We'll see how Ramesu plays this one out.
Running Back
Israel Abanikanda | New York Jets | 69 OVR, 20 Y/O
Israel Abanikanda was taken in the 5th round by the Jets after a stellar third year with Pitt, where he really made a name for himself as a shifty, but resilient runner. He won't blow you away immediately with any of his fundamentals, but the guy is a physical specimen at 5'11, 215lb boasting 92 speed, 90 acceleration and not that bad trucking and strength ratings.
The appeal here should be very clear, the kid is 20 years old, you can mold him however you'd like and it's not like he's a project player, as he has a very respectable and well rounder 69 ovr (nice). Like Duggan, I'm not sure where he gets his carries or development in when it comes to his team. He's sitting behind Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook, and Michael Carter, still, an awesome asset to have and would even be valuable as a trade piece next year when he becomes eligible.
Wide Receiver
Trey Palmer | Tampa Bay Bucanneers | 68 OVR, 22 Y/O
Trey Palmer was a standout from Kentwood and turned that into a scholarship, winning a national championship with LSU in 2019, although not being a big factor during his time there. Trey transfered to Nebraska and exploded in his 1 year as a Cornhusker, setting school records for receiving yards in a season AND receiving yards in a game.
Trey has his elite speed to thank for that, as he ran a 4.33 at the combine, translating to a 95 speed, 92 acceleration rating in Madden. Despite only being selected in the 6th round, Trey isn't starting THAT far behind as a route runner and his age makes him a perfect candidate for Tampa to focus on, especially given their situation as they try to find a new identity. I expect big things from Palmer.
Tight End
Elijah Higgins | Miami Dolphins | 66 OVR, 22 Y/O
Another 6th round pick fills out our under the radar offense stars, this time being Elijah Higgins from Stanford. Higgins is a true new-school tight end, as he's a pure pass catcher who racked up a ton of yards in his junior and senior campaigns at Standford. His real appeal is all in the physical tools, which should come as no surprise.
The main tool in that kit is his speed. Higgins is a true vertical threat and boasts the second highest speed rating in Madden for tight ends, second only to Kyle Pitts (I am not counting Taysom Hill's current inclusion as a "tight end"). To be clear, Higgins is essentially a chunky, but speedy wide receiver lining up at tight end, I would never rely on him to secure a block, but used right, Higgins could be another insanely fast weapon for the Dolphins for many years.
Offensive Tackle
Dawand Jones | Cleveland Browns | 68 OVR, 22 Y/O
This may very well be the easiest pick of the entire article, as Dawand Jones, a 4th round pick, comes into Madden with insane intangibles. Not only is the 3 year Ohio State starter the strongest rookie in the game, he's the SECOND STRONGEST TACKLE IN FOOTBALL, trailing only Trent Williams by 3 points of strength.
Dawand's pass blocking fundamentals leave some to be desired, but he's young and moldable enough to get through that and with the help of 95 base strength and pretty strong run blocking ratings, Dawand should be a blessing for Kelly, no matter if he keeps him at tackle or even moves him to guard.
Offensive Guard
Anthony Bradford | Seattle Seahawks | 68 OVR, 22 Y/O
The guard position is a little less clear cut, as there are a few other considerable players here, including Houston's Kenyon Green and Washington's Braeden Daniels. That said, Anthony Bradford, much like Jones above him, comes in with elite strength (92 base) for his age, which is also convenient to make him the youngest guard I considered.
Another easy choice as a long-term offensive lineman, Bradford has a little more ground to make up than Dawand from a footwork standpoint, but he's a lot faster than Jones and would be a scary lead blocker in zone runs and guard pull situations.
Center
Luke Wypler | Cleveland Browns | 65 OVR, 22 Y/O
Talk about a haul for Kelly's Browns, eh? Say what you will about his cap situation with football's biggest bag of shit at Quarterback, but they have two of the best young players to build a new offensive line around him to protect the aforementioned bag of shit better than his army of millionaire lawyers.
Funny enough, Luke ALSO played at Ohio State, so will be rejoining Dawand in the same locker room. Although Luke does not immediately blow you away in any physical category, he has impressive awareness (71) for such a young, lowly drafted player. He could start right now and not be THAT far behind the curve.
Defensive End/Edge
Adetomiwa Adebawore | Indianapolis Colts | 66 OVR, 22 Y/O
Legendarily underappreciated running back Christian Okoye may have the moniker of "Nigerian Nightmare" firmly locked up, but based on Adebawore's physical intangibles, he could end up making a run for something similar in Indianapolis.
Adebawore is special in that I project him to be an edge at 6'2, 282lb, but by no means does that have to be the case. The 4th-round pick has an insane 89 speed and 92 acceleration rating, which combined with his equally impressive 84 strength at the position, means he's versatile. Right now, he doesn't really stand out at block shedding or pass rushing, so it will remain to be seen which direction Warren takes the freak of nature.
Defensive Tackle
Cameron Young | Seattle Seahawks | 67 OVR, 23 Y/O
Mississippi State's standout big boy falls into this spot, but not without tough decisions. There were a few other options, namely Moro Ojomo in Philadelphia, but ultimately, Young's superior strength and block shedding was worth the extra year of age. Young is a depth player at best right now, but has tools to be a very solid starting 4-3 tackle.
He's not the fastest or most versatile like Adebawore, but a really great year + focused training could net the Seahawks an above average and cheap starting option, even if he wouldn't be useful as a pass rusher.
Outside Linebacker
Dee Winters | San Fransisco 49ers | 65 OVR, 22 Y/O
De'Monderick Winters - or Dee - joins his TCU teammate Maxx Duggan on this list for reasons that should be obvious at this point, he's a physical specimen and has many years of football ahead of him.
What Dee lacks in size (only 5'11, 227), he makes up for not just in speed (89 speed, 93 acceleration) but in instincts. For a 22-year old linebacker, Dee has very solid zone coverage and play recognition and could even play safety in a pinch. His lack of size may make tackling bigger players tough, but he can very much slow them down by hitting the hole before anyone can react. Based on my sources in SF, Dee will be a huge part of future plans on the defensive side for the niners.
Middle Linebacker
Noah Sewell | Chicago Bears | 66 OVR, 21 Y/O
I openly GROANED out loud when I saw this initial list of considerations. While the Oregon product lacks the kind of raw physical tools that I would have considered in other players (Owen Pappoe in AZ and Brandon Smith in CAR are notable), Sewell still rocks 89 acceleration and importantly, is just 21-years young.
In addition to that, he ALREADY has other areas of his game that are way better than they should be, including his 72 block shedding, 82 tackling, and an insane 90 hit power. With his brothers Penei and Nephi already dishing out their own punishment in Detroit and New Orleans, you can bet your bottom dollar this guy will quickly be a household name in Astin's hands, who is notorious for turning players like this into perrennial all-pro players.
Cornerback
Kelee Ringo | Philadelphia Eagles | 72 OVR, 21 Y/O
While I initially considered Nic Jones out of Kansas City due to his size and status as a 20-year old child, but looking more deeply, I was amazed to look at 2x National Champion Bulldog Kelee Ringo and realize he was actually taken in the 4th round, making him eligible for this list!
Should be very obvious why he was selected given his 72 OVR, but it's somehow even more dangerous than meets the eye. 6'2, 207 lbs means he's going to be bullying opposing receivers and 94 speed, 95 acceleration (not to mention his size will add like +2 speed bc of longer strides) means he can keep up with the smaller speedier ones. Ringo is also 21 and comes in with very servicable MCV, ZCV, and PRS ratings. He's the exact player you would build in a labratory if you wanted a star corner. No brainer, should be one of Blueprint's core defensive pieces for the cycle.
Safety
Antonio Johnson | Jacksonville Jaguars | 67 OVR, 21 Y/O
Antonio Johnson, a youngin out of Texas A&M, checks all the boxes we've already established we're looking for in one of these under-the-radar players. He's big, he's got good speed and acceleration, and he's very young.
However, the first team All-SEC safety really jumps out with his zone coverage rating. I always look for instincts and namely play recognition when going after young safeties, and to be fair, Antonio lacks that over his peers, but not by very much. The added year of player development will be very helpful in catching him up in areas of limitation, and will serve him even better in places like zone coverage (73 base), pursuit (77 base) and hit power (85 base)
And that's our list!
Keep an eye out for these god damn youths, because they're coming to a field near you to become stars in the Red Zone!! And hey, they even get the added benefit of having one extra year to develop vs the always pivotal FIRST RZ Draft Class of the cycle.
FOOTBALL IS ALMOST HERE!!!