MADDEN 26 Rookies Shake Up The Rosters: Every Round 1 Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft

We're still months away from from the player ratings reveal for Madden NFL 26, but with the 2025 NFL Draft kicking off last night, we got our first glimpse at some of the exciting new athletes we'll be able to play as on the digital gridiron. Although the 2025 draft class was generally considered weaker than recent years, there were still a handful of players that could shake things up in Madden.

Rookies in Madden aren't typically among the top-rated players in the game, but they can still be fun to play as. Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, there were three big names to keep an eye on: Miami quarterback Cam Ward, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter, the two-way superstar from Colorado.

The Tennessee Titans with the No. 1 overall pick drafted Ward. Ward is known for his strong arm and ability to extend plays, which makes him an exciting prospect to play as in Madden 26.

The first major splash happened with the second pick though and involved the draft's most intriguing player. In a surprising move, the Jaguars traded up to No. 2 to select Travis Hunter. The most dynamic rookie we've seen in, maybe, forever, Hunter played both ways in college and excelled at both cornerback and wide receiver in Colorado. Heading into the draft, Hunter expressed his desire to continue playing both sides of the ball at the professional level. Jacksonville will likely give him a chance to do both, which presents an intriguing option for players in Madden 26. Jaguars fans will have the opportunity to play as Hunter as both a wide receiver and a cornerback in Madden 26 and it will be interesting to see how EA handles his ratings.

Ashton Jeanty, widely considered the best running back in a deep class, went No. 6 to the Las Vegas Raiders. As a Cowboys fan, I was hoping he'd drop to Dallas at No. 12, but he finds himself in an immediate starting position in Las Vegas. Playing in the Mountain West, there are some question marks with how Jeanty will adjust to NFL talent, which makes me question how EA will rate him as a rookie.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was the fact that quarterback Shedeur Sanders was not taken in the first round. There was all sorts of scrutiny surrounding Sanders heading into the draft, and whispers that his stock had fallen ahead of the big night. 

After selecting Abdul Carter with the third overall pick, the Giants traded back into the first round. They opted to go with Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dark at No. 25 though, which pretty much ended Sanders' hopes of being drafted in the first round. 

There have been numerous reports that teams never saw Sanders as a first round talent, and while that may be true, he presents an exciting opportunity in Madden. Although he's primarily known for his passing skills, he is able to extend plays with his feet. He's not exactly a "scrambling" quarterback, but his mobility could make him a fun option to play as in Madden 26 -- assuming his rating is decent enough.

Other big names worth mentioning on the offensive side of the ball include wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan to the Carolina Panthers, tight end Colston Loveland to the Chicago Bears, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and  running back Omarion Hamption to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Here's the full breakdown of every first round pick in  the 2025 NFL Draft:

1. Tennessee Titans - Cam Ward (QB, Miami)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars - Travis Hunter (CB/WR, Colorado)
3. New York Giants - Abdul Carter (Edge, Penn State)
4. New England Patriots - Will Campbell (OT, LSU)
5. Cleveland Browns - Mason Graham (DT, Michigan)
6. Las Vegas Raiders  Ashton Jeanty (RB, Boise State)
7. New York Jets - Armand Membou (OT, Missouri)
8. Carolina Panthers - Tetairoa McMillan (WR, Arizona)
9. New Orleans Saints - Kelvin Banks Jr. (OT, Texas)
10. Chicago Bears - Colston Loveland (TE, Michigan)
11. San Francisco 49ers - Mykel Williams - Edge, Georgia)
12. Dallas Cowboys - Tyler Booker (OG, Alabama)
13. Miami Dolphins - Kenneth Grant (DT, Michigan)
14. Indianapolis Colts - Tyler Warren (TE, Pen State)
15. Atlanta Falcons - Jalon Walker (LB, Georgia)
16. Arizona Cardinals - Walter Nolen (DT, Ole Miss)
17. Cincinnati Bengals - Shemar Stewart (Edge, Texas A&M)
18. Seattle Seahawks - Grey Zabel (OG, North Dakota State)
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Emeka Egbuka (WR, Ohio State)
20. Denver Broncos - Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas)
21. Pittsburgh Steelers - Derrick Harmon (DT, Oregon)
22. Los Angeles Chargers - Omarion Hamption (RB, North Carolina)
23. Green Bay Packers - Mathew Golden (WR, Texas)
24. Minnesota Vikings - Donovan Jackson (OG, Ohio State)
25. New York Giants - Jaxson Dart (QB, Ole Miss)
26. Atlanta Falcons - James Pearce Jr. (Edge, Tennessee)
27. Baltimore Ravens - Malaki Starks (S, Georgia)
28. Detroit Lions - Tyleik Williams (DT, Ohio State)
29. Washington Commanders - Josh Conerly Jr. (OT, Oregon)
30. Buffalo Bills - Maxwell Hairston (CB, Kentucky)
31. Phialdelphia Eagles - Jihaad Campebell (LB, Alabama)
32. Kansas City Chiefs - Josh Simmons (OT, Ohio State)

EA typically doesn't reveal player and team ratings for Madden until late July or early August, so we'll have to wait a bit longer before we see how they view these new rookies. Madden NFL 26 is set to release on August 14th for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.