Madden NFL 23: The Best Talents And Draft Classes For The Franchise Mode

Madden NFL 23 is now officially on the market, and the most popular mode is "Franchise". Here, you can play a career with up to 32 other online players. We show you which NFL players and rookies have the biggest potential.

Madden Herbert
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is one of the best NFL talents in Madden NFL 23. | © EA

Madden NFL has what we've wanted for FIFA for decades: An online career mode called "Franchise". Here you can play against your buddies, experience the NFL Draft together, trade players and picks and also develop your talents. In American Football, you always have to think about the future and invest your resources cleverly. The best way is to invest in young talent that you can develop over the years. We show you which current NFL players have great potential, and we also give you tips on which college players you should keep an eye on.

What do you think of the new Madden? It's always sad that there's hardly anything new. We see it a bit differently, especially the new possibilities in the passing game are a lot of fun. As soon as you hitthe new free form, you can pick apart the opponent's defense. We recommend the game to every American football fan. But there is no other serious option on the market to be fair.

So: Further down in the article, you'll get tables with the best NFL talents with the best players of the draft class 2023 and 2024. Before that, we explain how to develop the players effectively, so they can reach their potential.

Madden NFL 23: The Best Talents For The Franchise Mode

We'll show you the best talent already in the game (i.e. licensed players) AND we'll show you the best draft prospects in the upcoming NFL Drafts. So with this information, you can either trade for the most promising players or grab the best rookies in the draft. In Madden NFL 23, you can use an EA-generated draft class again (completely random players that don't exist in real life), or select a class created by an online user. These classes, of course, vary in the rating of the players. We downloaded the draft class of "DelSainto" for this article, he has the most likes and the ratings of the college players are realistic. Of course, you can download another file, but we can't guarantee the accuracy of the ratings.

Btw check out the FIFA 23 Top 100 Rating Prediction!

Madden NFL 23 Franchise Mode: Player Development

If you are playing Madden for the first time, you should know how to best develop your players. The basic principle of this is similar to the FIFA career mode and also refers to the real development of a young player. You can have a great talent in the roster, but if you don't let the boy play or don't train him, then he won't develop. Sounds logical, doesn't it?

Madden NFL 23: Development Trait

There are four different Development Traits in Madden: Normal (Bronze), Star (Silver), Superstar (Gold) and Superstar X-Factor. The better the Development Trait, the faster a player generates XP and the faster you can upgrade him. You can improve the Development Trait by performing consistently well with a player. Then you get the opportunity to play a Breakout Game, where you have to achieve certain goals, for example two touchdowns with a wide receiver, to upgrade the Development. From Superstar (Gold) onwards, the player receives Abilities, and these are right and important. If a player receives an award (for example MVP), then he automatically reaches the next development level.

Madden NFL 23: The Players With The Best Potential

We start directly with the best players! Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Micah Parsons are among the greatest talents in American football, and in Madden, they will for sure reach a 99 rating. During a franchise, players can, of course, be cut or traded, so we specify the team the players play for at the start of a franchise.

PLAYER

POSITIONRATING
POTENTIALDEVELOPMENTTEAM
Joe BurrowQB9299X-FactorBengals
Josh AllenQB9499X-FactorBills
Justin HerbertQB8999SuperstarChargers
Najee HarrisHB8399StarSteelers
Justin Jefferson
WR9799X-FactorVikings
Ja'Marr Chase
WR

91

99X-FactorBengals
Jaylen Waddle
WR8899SuperstarDolphins
Kyle Pitts
TE

86

99X-FaktorFalcons
Mike Onwenu
LG

84

93StarPatriots
Creed Humphrey
C

89

99StarChiefs
Tristan Wirfs
RT9299SuperstarBuccaneers
Penei Sewell
RT8595SuperstarLions
Chase Young
LE8699SuperstarCommanders
Brian Burns
LE8799SuperstarPanthers
Nick Bosa
RE9499X-Faktor49ers
Quinnen Williams
DT

92

99SuperstarJets
Nick Bolton
MLB85

99

StarChiefs
Micah Parsons
ROLB

95

99X-Factor
Cowboys
Patrick Surtain II
CB9099SuperstarBroncos
A.J. Terrell Jr
CB8899StarFalcons
Jevon Holland
FS8493StarDolphins
Derwin James Jr
SS9399X-Factor
Chargers

Of course, there are many more players who have 99 potential. We have only filtered out the players with great development. A little tip: Micah Parsons can sometimes be traded for a high 2nd round pick in the first season, which is just absurd! But if you want to take the AI for a ride, you can scam yourself a 99 OVR potential there.

M23 firstlook screen gen5 wr routemove jpg adapt crop16x9 818p
Miami Dolphins new superstar: Wide receiver Tyreek Hill! | © EA

Madden NFL 23: Ratings, Potential And Development Of The 2022 Draft Class

If you draft a rookie with potential, he gets the Hidden Development (blue). Once you have taken 500 snaps with that player, his development is revealed. Here are the best players of the 2022 draft after the first season has been played:

PLAYERRATING
POTENTIALPOSDEV TRAIT
TEAM
Derek Stingley Jr
7799CBStarTexans
Ikem Ekwonu
7994LTSuperstarPanthers
Aidan Hutchinson
7999LESuperstarLions
Breece Hall
8199HBSuperstarJets
Jordan Davis
7990DTSuperstarEagles
Evan Neal
7595RT
StarGiants
Sauce Gardner
8799CBSuperstarJets
Kyle Hamilton
7699SSStarRavens
Chris Olave
8499WRSuperstarSaints
Kenneth Walker III
8499HBSuperstarSeahawks
Garrett Wilson
8399WRStarJets
Jameson Williams
7899WRStar
Lions
Travon Walker
7895ROLBStarJaguars
Kayvon Thibodeaux
7999ROLBStarGiants
Drake London
7799WRStarFalcons
Jahan Dotson
7696WRStarCommanders
Trent McDuffie
7899CBStarChiefs
Zion Johnson
7389RGNormalChargers
Daxton Hill
7597FSStarBengals
Brian Robinson Jr
7997HBNormal
Commanders
Dameon Pierce
8399HBStarTexans

Six players from the 2022 draft class have superstar development. Of course, the OVR can also change depending on the season of the players, which is obvious in a dynamic system anyway. So, if you want one of these players, you have to trade for him early in the franchise because otherwise the players will get better and better, and thus far too expensive. The Jets had a brilliant Madden draft. Hall is developing into a superstar, Gardner and Wilson are promising stars who are bound to take the next step. So overall, the Jets have great potential for years to come.

This is how an OVR is created for FIFA 23.

Madden 23 NFL: Ratings, Potential And Development Of The 2023 Draft Class.

You have now completed your first season and the draft is coming up. Here you can see which players have the highest rating directly after the draft and how they develop afterwards. Compared to the real NFL, in Madden, you won't find really good players in the later rounds, so the best chance to get a sick player is in round 1 or round 2. This draft class is from "DelSainto". We thank this legend for his efforts, it takes several days to create a class.

PLAYERRATING
POTENTIALPOSDEV TRAIT
Will Anderson Jr
8099ROLBX-Factor
Jalen Carter
7895DTStar
Bryce Young
7899QBX-Factor
Kelee Ringo
7899CBX-Factor
Bijan Robinson
78
99HBX-Factor
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
7897WRSuperstar
Kayshon Boutte
7794WRStar
CJ Stroud
7799QBSuperstar
Bryan Bresse
7692REStar
Paris Johnson Jr
7692LTSuperstar
Myles Murphy
7690LEStar
Jaquelin Roy
75

93

DTStar
Eli Ricks
75

90

CBStar
Trenton Simpson
7589LOLBStar
Jordan Battle
7599FSX-Factor
Peter Skoronski
7586LTStar
Nolan Smith
75

90

ROLBNormal
Quentin Johnston
75

90

WRNormal
Michael Mayer
7590TENormal
Brandon Joseph
7587SSNormal
Marvin Mims
7594WRStar

This draft class really packs a punch! And as I said, these are the "real" current college players who will declare for the 2023 NFL Draft next year. If a team were to pick with QB-Need at the 1 pick, Bryce Young will definitely go off the board. Always consider the value of each position when drafting. Anderson Jr will be an absolute beast, but if you need a new QB, obviously take Young or Stroud. Jordan Battle will be a real steal because the Saftey has X-factor development. He usually doesn't get picked until the end of the 1st round, keep your eyes open!

M23 firstlook screen gen5 rb cut move jpg adapt crop16x9 818p
The Madden 23 gameplay is really well done. | © EA

Madden 23 NFL: Ratings, Potential And Development Of The 2024 Draft Class.

We downloaded our 2024 draft class from "Escobar". Here the ratings are a bit higher at the start, but that's not too bad. Amarius Mims has the highest rating, but he only brings Normal Development. Boo. Caleb Williams has franchise QB potential, and Dallas Turner will be an elite pass rusher.

PLAYERRATINGPOTENTIALPOSDEV TRAIT
Amarius Mims
84

99

RTNormal
Caleb Williams
83

99

QBSuperstar
Dallas Turner
8299LOLBSuperstar
Damon Payne Jr
8199DTSuperstar
Donovan Jackson
8096RGStar
J.T. Tuimoloau
7994LENormal
Emika Egbuka
7997WRStar
Kool-Ade McKinstry
78
99CBSuperstar
Korey Foreman
7895LEStar
James Williams
7890FSNormal
Nolan Rucci
7787RTNormal
Shermar Turner
7787DTNormal
Maason Smith
7786DTNormal
Quinn Ewers
7795QBNormal
Terrence Lewis
7799ROLB

Superstar

Keeshawn Silver
7693LEStar
Barrett Carter
7690ROLBNormal

So, if you can draft one or two of these players, you should be in a really good position for the future. Your Championship Window is now open, it's up to you and your skills on the controller whether you win the Super Bowl or not. Franchise mode is really the most fun to play with your friends, especially if you're in the same division.

That's it for our Madden NFL 23 best talents and draft classes article. And now off to the Huddle!

Jonas Sohns

Content Creator for Sports Games & FIFA. I studied sports journalism in Munich and have been working for EarlyGame since 2021. My favourite games are FIFA, Madden NFL and Formula 1....