Madden Rating Projection: Jordan Howard

What should Jordan Howard’s rating be in Madden?

We have all played the video game Madden, right? So everyone knows that the first thing an avid football fan does when he gets the game is check out the ratings of all of his favorite players.

So what should the rating for Jordan Howard be and what will it be?

2017 season?

Last season was a bit of a down year for Jordan Howard.  He finished the season rated 84 in Madden. That was with a stat line of 1,122 yards and nine touchdowns.

2018 season

In 2018, Mike Clay has him projected for 1,025 yards and seven touchdowns. It is a fair projection, but with more carries, he could get over 1,200 yards rushing. Still, this is about the stat line of where he should be rated.

Considering where he was rated last season, and those range of where his projections will be in again, it fair to say that his baseline would be in the 84 range.

NFL Comparables

What is interesting is that the two most comparable names to Howard in terms of projected 2018 stat line is Melvin Gordon, who finished the year rated 88, and Howard, who finished the year rated 84.

Over the last two seasons, Howard has 2,435 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Gordon has 2,102 averaging 3.9 yards per carry. Gordon has 18 touchdowns to 15 of Howard.

The big difference in Gordon’s favor?

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Gordon has 99 receptions for 895 yards and 6 touchdowns over this span. Jordan Howard has 52 receptions for 423 yards and a touchdown over that span.

Madden Projection: 86

Still, that is not enough in the favor of Gordon that much. It is 472 yards in Gordon’s favor catching passes and 333 yards in Howards favor rushing the football.

Howard is in a great situation next year and should be reducing the pass-catching gap with a better overall showing. The team has been working with Howard this offseason and is looking to get him in easier situations.

With an improved offensive line and a better scheme that should put Howard in plus rushing situations, it is fair to say that by the end of the season Howard is back in the higher class being rated 88 or higher. However, after finishing the season at 84, and with questions still surrounding him as a pass catcher, that type of jump would take a few weeks of improvement to change.

For now, it can be argued that 86 is a fair enough rating until he proves he can catch passes more consistently.