Determining Player Potential In Madden 10

Madden 10 has a new feature this year in Franchise Mode — player potential.  When starting a franchise with your team of choice, you are able to see that every player on your team has a potential grade “A” through “F.”  The grade determines the maximum overall rating your player can achieve in his career.

For example if you have an “A” rated player such as Matthew Stafford (quarterback for Detroit), and he plays well, his overall rating has a good chance to progress into the 90s.  Conversely, a player like Fred Davis (tight end for Washington) with a “D” rating can’t progress past the 60s.  The reason this was done was to “give franchise mode balance.”  But my main problem with potential is, how can anyone predict how good a player is going to become?

How can you determine what potential rating to give a player?  Is it by draft position?  Age?  Past production?  Let’s take two players that are very close in those three aspects and compare them.

Redskins TE Fred Davis
Age: 23
Drafted: 2008 Round 2 Pick #48
2008 Stats: 3 Receptions, 27 yards
Madden 10 Potential Rating: “D”

Packers TE Jermichael Finley
Age: 22
Drafted: 2008 Round 3 Pick #91
2008 Stats: 6 Receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD

Madden 10 Potential Rating: “A”

Some Facts:
- In 2008 Fred Davis was drafted 43 spots ahead of Jermichael Finley.
- In 2008 Fred Davis was the 3rd TE drafted, Jermichael Finley was the 7th TE drafted.
- Most importantly… Neither player had much impact on their team in 2008.

I do not see any evidence as to why Fred Davis has “D” potential, and Jermichael Finely has “A” potential.  I am neither a Redskins nor Packers fan, and I am not biased towards either team.  But what I fail to understand why there is such a drastic difference in both players’ potential rating.  Jermichael Finley can become a star, and Fred Davis can’t ever move up a depth chart.  To give more of a broad look at how potential plays out, let’s take a look at the first 7 tight ends drafted in the 2008 NFL Draft.  (Stats from 2008 season).

• Round 1 (30) Dustin Keller NYJ – “A” potential (48 rec, 535 yds, 3 TD)
• Round 2 (38) John Carlson SEA – “A” potential (55 rec, 627 yds, 5 TD)
• Round 2 (48) Fred Davis WAS – “D” potential (3 rec, 27 yds, 0 TD)
• Round 2 (61) Martellus Bennett DAL – “B” potential (20 rec, 283 yds, 4 TD)
• Round 3 (76) Brad Cottam KC – “B” potential (7 rec, 63 yds, 0 TD)
• Round 3 (85) Craig Stevens TEN – “C” potential (1 rec, 9 yds, 0 TD)
• Round 3 (91) Jermichael Finley GB – “A” potential (6 rec, 74 yds, 1 TD)

These 7 tight ends are players that have only played in the NFL for 1 year.  Once again I wonder how Fred Davis with his 3 career catches can be considered a bust, and Jermichael Finley with his 6 career catches, can be considered a future star? Also, what about Craig Stevens and Brad Cottam’s 8 combined career receptions shows that they have better potential than Fred Davis? The only TE drafted below Fred Davis that necessarily outperformed him and showed a glimpse of what was to come, was Martellus Bennett.

The examples I have listed show only tight ends, but this question about potential can be relative to any position.  So I ask the question again… What determines player potential?

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Andre is our newest addition to the team. He’s a sports management major who often finds himself delving deep into Franchise mode and coming out with a new light on things. Look for him here on AskMadden on a new regular weekly basis.