Madden 10 Draft Guide - ZFarls's Blog

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Madden 10 Draft Guide

Posted on June 17, 2009 at 11:24 AM.

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Madden Bible 2010 Mock Fantasy Draft

Today's Maddenbible Mailbag Question is from Preacher

He is selecting 13th in an upcoming fantasy draft for Madden 2010. We have drafted up a small guide to help him get the best value for his picks. I have made a podcast to go along with some of the ideas we talk about as well. We will be elaborating more on this subject as well as adding to this post in the future. If you have a question for the mailbag get live 24/7 answers by aiming maddenbible. Drafting may be the sweetest thing in all of Madden plus its going to be all the rage with online franchise and 32 users. I have completed one before and lets just say I had Derek Anderson and Tavarias Jackson. Even Reggie Bush and his over valued Madden Skills couldn't have bailed me out there. How was I supposed to see Vince Young going 3rd? Human drafts are totally differnet, be prepared.

(See site for podcast)

For the presentation of this article we will break down the both starting sides of the ball and where/when we can get the best value available. Keep in mind this is our assumption based off of countless hours played on past versions of Madden. This list is subject to change when the game releases on 08/14/2009. We will also take in account that we will have the 13th pick in the draft. Lets get to it!

1. QB-Most important position for any team in Madden. If you don't have an adequate arm we wont be able to move the ball. With the 13th pick we can still manage to get an upper echelon QB. At this pick I certainly think a QB like Donovan Mcnabb will be available. Mcnabb has always boasted a big arm, above average throw accuracy and a more then adequate speed rating. The same story goes for Madden 2010. Mcnabb boasts a solid OVR rating of 91.

*If Ben Roethlisberger is still available look to pick him up here. He has better passing ratings but lower speed. Also he is much younger then Mcnabb, this can pay dividends a few years into your franchise.*

ZFarls Take:I feel that QB is more important in this years game than ever. Rather than a guy like Vince Young, Pocket Passers are at a premium. It looks like snaps can be taken under center and someone who can wiggle is no longer over valued. Long and medium range passing also seem to be important in this years game. No longer will acc be just one category. It looks like they will be broken down further which of course makes getting a good qb important. I still love drafting a fast backup qb, but he may not be your first choice anymore.

Sgibs7 Take: I'm a big fan of THP and speed. Give me a QB that has tons of THP and a little bit of speed and I'm a happy camper. My reason behind this is that with big THP we can make any throw on the field, it may sail overhead a few times but hey I can live with that. I love speed at the QB position as well. Its another weapon the defense has to worry about. If you followed me in Madden 09 you saw that I loved Jamarcus Russel. However early reports are showing that Madden 2010 may be the year that brings Madden studs like Russel to an abrupt end.

2. RB- For those who like to pound the rock, Running backs are always a good investment. Ideally speed is the most important category. Reggie Bush who is a poor NFL Running back is someone that really dominates in Madden. We also like the ability to use him on passing routes and screens.
We also want a good second back in the mid to late rounds to complement this first pick. We wont be FB diving as much in Madden 10 but I still feel it will be available.

Adrian Peterson is always the top choice but other backs have emerged and speed is at a premium this year. Back's like Chris Johnson will be going early in this years game and carry high value.

ZFarls: Also when looking into taking a running back early, make sure you have some of the other pieces in place to make it a success. If your going to spend the next 5 picks on speedy wr's then it doesnt really correlate. We need to focus our team for some solid defense and maybe a lineman up at the top. We must realize that it may make it harder to come from behind. If we think we want to control and posses and running is equal to passing than pick away at RB. You must commit though.

Sgibs7 Take: Taking a running back with the second pick is a bit iffy for me. Unless there is an absolute stud still available I would bypass a back at this pick. Speed always kills in madden and there are certainly a handful of lower rated players that we can pick up later on in the draft. If we do see a stud still available with our 13th pick lets look to select them here. If not look to progress another area of concern.

3. WR Corps
As always, Speed and height combos are as deadly as it gets in Madden. I feel strongly that this will be the case in Madden 10. Although I think that the number of players will be tuned down. Solid recievers like steve smith always struggle in Madden due to lack of height where a guy like Brandon Marshall is a stud.

There is a top pack of Moss, Fitz and everyones favorite sleeper, Calvin Johnson. We must find out how the ratings and lack of RC will affect Madden 10 before we can determine how important this selection will be.

Zfarls Take- I see 3-5 top picks being worth it. With the new speed and no rc I think there will be a good second tier of talent which will reward solid recievers who have never been great in madden like torry holt. (in his prime)

I think if once the top guys come off the board you can hold and grab two solid real life number ones for great value. Route running will be imporatnt so don't hold out for scrubs with speed like hester, berrian or my old favorite Bethel Johnson. This madden is shaping up to be different.

Sgibs7 Take: With RC being "removed" from the game this year that may make guys like Hines Ward FINALLY effective, right? WRONG, I for one don't completely believe this. We have heard time and time again that this is the year that so and so will be good. Sadly, we are typically disappointed.

One thing seems to always hold true at the WR position. Speed and Height is ALL you need. Taking a WR at this pick, this early could be detramental to your teams success. How much of a difference, in Madden, is there between Randy Moss and Chaz Schillens? Not THAT much.

TE- If you are going to use a lot of 2 TE sets then do yourself a favor and get one stud and one solid backup (Heath Miller) early. If we are going to use these guys than they have great value. You can also trade one if you get a Gates and a Winslow! However, if your more into speed and 5 wr sets than don�t waste your time here. In a human draft these guys go a lot earlier than a CPU draft. There are some solid late round options that we can look into later.

O-Line- Unless you lack good protection and manipulation than look into these guys later. If you decided on that run heavy offense then start selecting these guys well before you take a 2nd and 3rd WR. They will make life easier but as long as you focus on there strengths, you will survive.

Defense

CB- How do you combat everyones favorite way to score points? CORNER BACKS! Unfortunetly up until this point WR and the offensive side of the ball have almost always had the advantage in this situation. Numerous reports, from E3 and from lead game designer Ian Cummings, are saying that this is the year that lock down CB's are going to actually lock fown there opposition.

If this holds true we may want to put a little more value in this pick, potentially moving it up to either two or three. If this does happen and the top CB's are gone (C.Bailey, N.Aso) look to grab Antonio Cromartie or his cousin D. Rodgers Cromartie. Both are tall, speedy, and can jump.

CB's are VERY important in Madden. They are also one of the only positions where you never play as the user. We can make up for lack of awarness at other positions but with Cb's they are out on an island. If you had Champ and N. Aso out on the edges would you be scared to bring alot more blitzes? This is a pick that can add serious value to your team.
As ive stated I feel less players will have that burning speed in this years game. I would select one CB high, and then 2 fast and 2 smart cbs. The 2 speed guys will be for blitzing and the 2 smart guys for coverage. Once we determine if zone or man will be the best way to play this years game, we can determing if the ratings matter. Then we pick the gems and you are on your way to dominating on defense.

Sgibs7- I love CB's in Madden. Back on Madden 07 I was in a fantasy draft franchise league called the VGXL. Two of my first three picks where Antonio Cromartie and Jimmy Williams. Many may not remember Jimmy Williams but he was on the same playing field as Cromartie back then. Both were 6'2 and both had 94 speed. They allowed me to play ANY type of defense and I was never affraid of having them get burnt one on one, on the outside. They were great against all WR's.
This combination of CB's really allowed me to expand my defense and allowed for other weakness on my team to not stand out as much. Unlike other positions elite CB's in Madden are NOT a dime a dozen. Thats why I hold there value to be a bit higher on the list.

Linebackers- Grab one solid stud to play the middle. On the left side get a fast guy for coverage. On the right side draft an avg speed player who plays the run well. We will learn how to get the right guys on the field in proper situations. This will maximize your draft value and give you better versatility.

Zfarls and Sgibs : Manny Lawson

DE- If you like to user with these guys and can find good ways to scheme them, by all means draft high. However, in a human draft they should stick around for a bit. There is no point in letting a good DE like Peppers ROT on your D-line if your not going to be mixing him into coverage and getting creative. This can be a value pick and you can either get stalwart on the run or go for total speed. Stick to a theme here and make your picks count.

Safeties-
This is an interesting category with users because the computer may draft very high, however good humans know the value of usering with lower rated players. Ed Reed is an absolute ball hawk and coverboy troy is also a good pick. However, would you rather spend a 2nd round pick or a 13th round pick and grab a guy like Tyrelle Johnson who with your user awareness is just as good as these types of players? There are plenty of good safetys that are later round values. This is a big spot to save on picks. I would spend it on cb's instead.

DT: See 80 ovr, sort by STRENGTH, pick late. We take these guys off the field anyway when not in run situations.

If you need more breakdown hit us up!