From the start, EA Sports has prided itself on making soccer games that are as close to reality as possible.
The first video game bearing John Madden’s name (John Madden Football), released in 1988, allowed players to change the weather and sounds at the line of scrimmage, a tradition that EA Sports held strong into the ’90s and 2000s. As the wildly popular Madden and NCAA Football franchises expanded, gamers began to see advancements and changes to their products designed to give them a more realistic feel.
The latest and highly anticipated installment, College Football 25, is no exception — just ask the players who’ve spent time lambasting (fictional) coaches for not hiring a better kicker.
But how does EA Sports do in analyzing and rating NFL Draft prospects? The popular Dynasty mode publishes (somewhat simplified) draft results at the end of each season. To get an idea of how those results might pan out, we simulated the 2025 season 10 times. Do the results match up with what we might expect from the 2025 draft class? Let’s take a look at how accurate these player rankings and draft results are.
Going deeper
NFL Draft 2025 Big Board: Who are the prospects ranked in Dane Brugler’s first top 50?
CFB 25 Draft Engine
The game generates draft results after each season in Franchise mode, with no actual order given, just “First Round,” “Second Round,” etc. And unfortunately, players don’t have the option to export their classes into the Madden universe like they did in previous versions of the game.
So we simulated the upcoming season 10 times to see how College Football 25 predicts the 2025 NFL Draft will play out, and while the results weren’t unanimous, a number of core players were drafted in the first round far more often than others.
These players:
NCAA 25 Most Likely “First Round” Picks
Position Player School
Quarterback
Carson Beck
Quarterback
Shedul Sanders
R.B.
Ollie Gordon II
R.B.
Quinson Judkins
WR/CB
Travis Hunter
WR
Tetairoa McMillan
WR
Luther Baden III
WR
Emeka Egbuka
O.T.
Will Campbell
O.T.
Kelvin Banks Jr.
O.T.
Aironteigh Arcee
Summary
Tate Rutledge
corner
James Pierce Jr.
corner
Michael Williams
DT
Mason Graham
lb
Barrett Carter
lb
Jay Higgins
CB
Will Johnson
CB
Benjamin Morrison
vinegar
Malachi Starks
If this group bears a striking resemblance to the top-ranked players across the game, that’s no coincidence. The rankings pretty clearly drive the mock draft engine the game uses to determine which players go in which round. Players ranked 30-50, such as Michigan’s Colston Loveland, Alabama’s Parker Brailsford and Louisiana State’s Harold Perkins Jr., were often first-round picks, but that wasn’t always the case.
QB evaluation
The biggest problem with the way the game rates players — the thing that appeals to casual football watchers and essentially makes the game more fun — is that nearly every quarterback and running back is rated too high.
For example, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel is ranked 30th in the game and is the fourth-highest rated quarterback (behind Shedul Sanders, Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers). That’s why Gabriel frequently pops up as a first-round draft pick. As a sixth-year player, he’s thrown for nearly 15,000 yards and is set to start at his third major program. He’s now a great college player leading one of the most talented teams in college football.
He’s 5-foot-10, weighs just 200 pounds and is clearly not a potential first-round draft pick in 2025. In fact, Dane Brugler of The Athletic recently rated him as the 14th-best senior passer to start the season.
Other quarterbacks I think are overrated in this game are Liberty’s Kaydon Salter (QB5), Kansas’ Jaron Daniels (QB7), Arizona’s Noah Fifita (QB8) and Utah’s Cameron Rising (QB10). Other quarterbacks I think are underrated in this game are Texas A&M’s Connor Weigman (QB12), Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard (QB14), Penn State’s Drew Aller (QB17), USC’s Miller Moss (QB28) and Florida’s Graham Mertz (QB37).
It’s pretty clear what’s going on: players with the best stats and metrics, regardless of competition or situation, tend to be rated higher than players who haven’t been in the spotlight as long. At the same time, the game does a very good job of making sure players like Memphis’ Seth Hennigan (QB11) get recognized.
To me, Gabriel is the most overrated offensive player in the game, but if the biggest criticism is that competitive veterans like Gabriel and North Carolina State’s Grayson McCall are rated a little higher than they get in the real world, so be it.
The most underrated prospect in the game
Actually, there are two.
The game has done a better job than I remember of approximating offensive line play (and player ratings in general) to reality. And yet, it’s one of the game’s most inconsistent areas. Take LSU right tackle Emery Jones Jr., for example. Like teammate/linemate Will Campbell, Jones begins the season with a first-round rating. He’s pretty high up on Brugler’s first big board, at No. 13. But in the video game, he’s somehow the No. 92 player.
There are also nine running backs ranked in the game’s top 50 and 14 ranked in the top 100. This makes sense in the world of video games, but it’s not realistic when it comes to the NFL Draft.
Plus, if you’re going to bolster your running back position, why not bolster it with the toughest guy to tackle? Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is far better than the No. 10 running back in his class as ranked by EA Sports. He’s definitely in the top three for 2025 and probably the best overall (Brugler currently has him No. 1). Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai was voted the runner-up for most neglected running back.
Going deeper
Who are the top transfer candidates for the 2025 NFL Draft?
The most overrated prospect in the game
Linebackers also received the quarterback/running back treatment. One game mode allows you to build a career at each individual position, including the option of a middle linebacker. This is funny because the MLB position is one of the most playable positions in video games, but the position is just too popular overall.
For example, Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins isn’t one of the 16 best prospects in the country, nor is Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter, both of whom College Football 25 projects to reach the elite apex.
Higgins, however, is an exception in my book because he had 171 tackles last season at Iowa. For most of his career, Higgins was the anchor of a defense that was essentially running an offense without a quarterback. That assessment misses the point, but the intent is fine from a video game and “this is what college football should be” perspective.
lastly
As with every Madden preseason rating, it’s all in the eye of the beholder, but I was impressed with how many of the bona fide NFL draft candidates from small schools were rated appropriately in the game, plus how all of the players on each team were (for the most part) in pretty much the right spot.
Of course, there are exceptions. Let’s take a look at how my top preseason position stacks differ from those in College Football 25.
Draft rankings: NCAA 25 vs. Baumgardner
Position Player School Position Player School
QB1
Shedul Sanders
Colorado
QB1
Carson Beck
Georgia
Quarterback 2
Carson Beck
Georgia
Quarterback 2
Shedul Sanders
Colorado
QB3
Dillon Gabriel
Oregon
QB3
Quinn Ewers
Texas
RB1
Ollie Gordon II
Oklahoma
RB1
Ollie Gordon II
Oklahoma
RB2
Quintion Judkins
Ohio State University
RB2
Ashton Jeanty
Boise State University
RB3
Omarion Hampton
North Carolina
RB3
Quintion Judkins
Ohio State University
WR1
Travis Hunter
Colorado
WR1
Tetairoa McMillan
Arizona
WR2
Luther Baden III
Missouri
WR2
Luther Baden III
Missouri
WR3
Tetairoa McMillan
Arizona
WR3
Travis Hunter
Colorado
TE1
Colston Loveland
Michigan
TE1
Colston Loveland
Michigan
TE2
Oronde Gadsden II
Syracuse
TE2
Mason Taylor
LSU
TE3
Mitchell Evans
Notre Dame
TE3
Oscar Delp
Georgia
OT1
Will Campbell
LSU
OT1
Will Campbell
LSU
OT2
Kelvin Banks Jr.
Texas
OT2
Kelvin Banks Jr.
Texas
OT3
Aironte Ercelie
Minnesota
OT3
Emery Jones Jr.
LSU
OL1
Tate Rutledge
Georgia
OL1
Donovan Jackson
Ohio State University
OL2-san
Parker Brailsford
Alabama
OL2-san
Jonah Sabainaea
Arizona
OL3-san
Clay Webb
Jacksonville State University
OL3-san
Tyler Booker
Alabama
Edge 1
James Pierce Jr.
Tennessee
Edge 1
James Pierce Jr.
Tennessee
Edge 2
Michael Williams
Georgia
Edge 2
Michael Williams
Georgia
Edge 3
Jack Sawyer
Ohio State University
Edge 3
Abdul Carter
Pennsylvania State University
DT1
Mason Graham
Michigan
DT1
Mason Graham
Michigan
DT2
Deon Walker
Kentucky
DT2
Deon Walker
Kentucky
DT3
Walter Nolen
Ole Miss
DT3
Kenneth Grant
Michigan
LB1
Barrett Carter
Clemson
LB1
Harold Perkins Jr.
LSU
LB2
Jay Higgins
Iowa
LB2
Danny Stutzman
Oklahoma
LB3
Harold Perkins Jr.
LSU
LB3
Barrett Carter
Clemson
CB1
Will Johnson
Michigan
CB1
Will Johnson
Michigan
CB2
Benjamin Morrison
Notre Dame
CB2
Benjamin Morrison
Notre Dame
CB3
Takhario Davis
Arizona
CB3
Denzel Burke
Ohio State University
SAF1
Malachi Starks
Georgia
SAF1
Malachi Starks
Georgia
SAF2
Xavier Watts
Notre Dame
SAF2
Xavier Nwankpa
Iowa
SAF3
Malachi Moore
Alabama
SAF3
Xavier Watts
Notre Dame
If you’ve played the game, share your thoughts on the draft engine and player ratings in the comments. Who is EA Sports overlooking? Who do you think is overrated right now?
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(Gameplay screenshots provided by EA Sports)