The launch ratings on EA’s Madden are out for the 2019 rookie class across the league. The Buccaneers had 14 first-year players receive a score with Devin White topping the list with a 74. Given that he was the team's first pick at number five overall, that shouldn't come as a shock.
White scored highest at speed with a 92, followed by acceleration at a 91. White ran a 4.41 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine back in March, the fastest of the linebacker group. His awareness rating was a 68, which comes as a bit of a surprise. White was a big playmaker for the LSU Tigers in college and never seemed to be too far away from the ball. He also scored just a 41 for elusiveness, which is again questionable given his speed. It likely means he could work on not getting entangled with blockers. Once the pads come on in training camp, that can start to be worked out.
See below for each player's overall rating:
LB Devin White: 74
CB Sean Murphy-Bunting: 72
K Matt Gay: 70
CB Jamel Dean: 68
S Mike Edwards: 68
WR Scotty Miller: 66
OLB Anthony Nelson: 65
WR Anthony Johnson: 65
WR Demarkus Lodge: 62
RB Bruce Anderson: 61
DL Terry Beckner, Jr: 60
S Lukas Denis: 59
OG Zack Bailey: 56
QB Nick Fitzgerald: 54
The Bucs' second-highest rated player is cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who has looked pretty stellar without pads so far this offseason. He's picking the scheme up quickly and had a few interceptions throughout OTAs and mini-camp. His preseason ratings are made even more impressive that Murphy-Bunting came out of the MAC, a smaller conference with not as much notoriety as the Power Five. It speaks volumes to the potential he's shown on tape and hopefully what he'll live up to come the 2019 season.
Rounding out the top three is kicker Matt Gay, who the Bucs took in the fifth round. He had a good offseason and has a massive leg while remaining accurate. That's something rarely found at the position and why the Bucs took a chance on the Utah product.
Topping the list for all first-year players in the league is the Jets' Quinnen Williams, the defensive tackle they took at third overall, who earned a score of 80. With that being the ceiling, White's rating seems justified for an off-ball linebacker. If we were going off impact to respective teams though, that's a different story. White was brought in to be an immediate contributor and if this offseason is any indication, his rating should be more towards the coveted score of 99.
