Jameis Winston has made his first appearance in the NFL — sort of.
On Wednesday, EA Sports added Winston to Madden NFL 15 as a part of Ultimate Team mode. EA Sports has a history of adding the upcoming season's most highly anticipated rookies to the current year's edition of Madden NFL by introducing them within Ultimate Team mode. The card-collecting, team-building mode has become a popular showpiece for the company and an excessively successful revenue generator. These players can't be added to the standard roster utilized throughout the rest of the game, but rather can take their place in the "fantasy" mode.
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Expect several rookies to make their way into Madden NFL 15 as early as Thursday night coinciding with the first round of the NFL Draft. EA got a jump on it though by adding expected No. 1 pick Jameis Winston on Wednesday. Anyone who logs into their Ultimate Team in Madden NFL 15 will receive Winston. His likeness was scanned and inserted into the game by the company so he looks like himself rather than a created player.
Winston's card has him with an Overall Rating of 92. This is a special inflated card where the rating will drop down significantly in a few weeks, so this is not a hint at what he will be like in Madden NFL 16. In past years the ratings for the rookies were fairly close to what they received when the next game came out. The top pick in the draft generally can expect a rating in the low 80's.
In the meantime his higher value includes individual ratings of 97 Throw Power, 94 Mid-Accuracy, 92 Deep Accuracy, 92 Short Accuracy, and 86 Speed.
Madden NFL 15 is available to play free for EA Access subscribers on Xbox One. That service is arguably the best value in gaming right now. Madden NFL 16 is slated to release on August 25.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is a regular participant in the Press Row Podcast and Press Row Hangout shows, and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.