For the next review, I've combined CB's and then safeties but I combined FS and SS into one pool of players.
For the top CB's I used the following script:
"I have uploaded the pool for the cornerback position. I value attributes for OLB as 1- SPD, 2- AWR, 3- ACC, 4- AGI, 5- CTH, 6- STR, 7- TAK, 8- INJ, 9- TGH, 10- JMP & 10- STA. Please give me a summary of this corp of CB's including the top 5. The following attributes can have a skew from +5 to -5; SPD, AWR, ACC, CTH & TAK. All other attributes can have a skew from +10 to -10.."
I went through all 26 CBs and applied your priority order, while also accounting for your allowed attribute skew:
±5: SPD, AWR, ACC, CTH, TAK
±10: AGI, STR, INJ, TGH, JMP, STA
I also treated height as a secondary CB consideration, since in your Madden league you've emphasized CB height when players are otherwise close.
2007 CB Draft Class — Overall Summary
This is a very good top-heavy CB class, with one player clearly separating himself from the field. The class has a lot of athletic CBs, but there is a pretty significant divide between players who have the speed/awareness/acceleration combination you want and players who are merely fast.
The biggest thing I see is that several CBs have excellent athleticism but poor AWR, which makes them considerably riskier in your CPU-vs-CPU league. Since you're putting AWR second behind SPD, that matters a lot.
There are also some excellent CTH/TACKLING prospects, which gives the class some CBs who should be more complete players rather than pure coverage athletes.
The elite traits in this class
SPD: Darrelle Revis (99), David Jones (96), C.J. Gaddis/Brandon McDonald (93)
AWR: Usama Young (69), Josh Wilson (6
, Brandon McDonald (67), Fred Bennett/Corey Graham (66)
ACC: Darrelle Revis/Michael Coe/David Irons (99/98/99 range), Leon Hall (9
, Marcus McCauley (97)
AGI: Darrelle Revis/David Irons/Courtney Brown (99/99/96)
CTH: Usama Young/Courtney Brown/Ryan Smith (73/72/71)
TAK: Mike Richardson (7
, Ryan Smith (75), Jonathan Wade (73)
The class is unusual because Revis combines almost all of the traits you care about at an elite level.
My Top 5 CBs
1. Darrelle Revis — 6'0", 198 lbs, Age 22
99 SPD | 61 AWR | 99 ACC | 99 AGI | 67 CTH | 63 STR | 64 TAK | 80 INJ | 84 TGH | 95 JMP | 77 STA
Grade: ELITE
This is the easy #1 for me.
Revis is simply on another level athletically. 99 SPD + 99 ACC + 99 AGI is exactly what you're looking for at CB, and he also has 95 JMP.
The only thing preventing him from being an absolutely perfect prospect is his 61 AWR. But compared with the other elite athletes in this class, he doesn't have nearly as many holes.
His 67 CTH and 64 TAK are also respectable rather than liabilities.
And importantly, he's only 22.
Why he's #1
99 SPD
99 ACC
99 AGI
95 JMP
67 CTH
64 TAK
Age 22
6'0"
61 AWR
80 INJ
Bottom line: If Revis is available when you pick, I would be very reluctant to pass him. He is the one CB in this class I'd consider a potential franchise-caliber CB1.
2. Brandon McDonald — 5'10", 185 lbs, Age 22
93 SPD | 67 AWR | 88 ACC | 93 AGI | 70 CTH | 44 STR | 53 TAK | 93 INJ | 90 TGH | 84 JMP | 90 STA
Grade: VERY GOOD / COMPLETE
This is probably my favorite non-Revis CB.
McDonald doesn't have Revis' ridiculous 99/99/99 athletic combination, but he has something Revis doesn't have to the same degree:
67 AWR + 70 CTH + 90 STA + 93 INJ
That's an extremely attractive combination for your league.
He's also 93 SPD and 93 AGI, so he isn't merely a technically sound CB — he's still very athletic.
The obvious weakness is 44 STR and 53 TAK, but tackling isn't nearly as concerning to me because of the rest of his profile.
Why he's #2
93 SPD
67 AWR
93 AGI
70 CTH
93 INJ
90 TGH
90 STA
88 ACC
44 STR
53 TAK
5'10"
Bottom line: He's one of the safest combinations of athleticism + awareness + receiving ability in the entire pool.
3. Dante Hughes — 5'10", 190 lbs, Age 22
91 SPD | 59 AWR | 90 ACC | 94 AGI | 68 CTH | 39 STR | 65 TAK | 99 INJ | 94 TGH | 90 JMP | 82 STA
Grade: VERY GOOD
Hughes is a really interesting prospect.
His 91 SPD / 90 ACC / 94 AGI combination is excellent, and his 68 CTH and 65 TAK are both very respectable.
The biggest attraction for me is the durability profile:
99 INJ / 94 TGH / 82 STA
That's outstanding.
He's also only 22.
The concern is obvious: 59 AWR and 39 STR.
But because you're allowing ±10 on STR and ±5 on AWR, I don't think those weaknesses are enough to knock him out of the top five.
Why he's #3
91 SPD
90 ACC
94 AGI
68 CTH
65 TAK
99 INJ
94 TGH
90 JMP
59 AWR
39 STR
Bottom line: Hughes could be a fantastic CPU CB because there's almost nothing physically wrong with him other than STR.
4. Rashad Barksdale — 6'0", 208 lbs, Age 23
81 SPD | 65 AWR | 91 ACC | 89 AGI | 64 CTH | 63 STR | 69 TAK | 91 INJ | 96 TGH | 72 JMP | 71 STA
Grade: SOLID / SAFE
Barksdale is probably the most interesting "safe floor" CB in the class.
His biggest problem is obvious:
81 SPD.
That's a major concern given that you've made SPD your #1 CB attribute.
However, almost everything else is good:
65 AWR
91 ACC
89 AGI
64 CTH
69 TAK
63 STR
91 INJ
96 TGH
He's also 6'0", 208, making him one of the bigger CBs in the pool.
The question is whether you can tolerate the 81 SPD.
Bottom line
He's not the CB I'd draft if I desperately need a shutdown corner.
But if you're looking for a big, balanced, reliable CB who doesn't have many glaring weaknesses, Barksdale is excellent.
5. Corey Graham — 6'0", 196 lbs, Age 22
87 SPD | 66 AWR | 87 ACC | 89 AGI | 63 CTH | 54 STR | 65 TAK | 98 INJ | 89 TGH | 83 JMP | 81 STA
Grade: VERY GOOD / BALANCED
Graham is the guy who kept pushing his way into my top five.
He doesn't have one spectacular attribute, but his profile is extremely balanced.
Most importantly for you:
87 SPD + 66 AWR + 87 ACC + 89 AGI + 63 CTH + 65 TAK
That's a very clean set of core CB attributes.
Then you get:
98 INJ / 89 TGH
And he's 6'0", 196 and only 22.
That's a lot to like.
Bottom line
Graham doesn't have Revis' ceiling or McDonald's athleticism, but I think he's one of the least likely CBs in this class to disappoint you.
My Final Top 10
Rank CB SPD AWR ACC AGI CTH TAK Overall
1 Darrelle Revis 99 61 99 99 67 64 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2 Brandon McDonald 93 67 88 93 70 53 ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
3 Dante Hughes 91 59 90 94 68 65 ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
4 Rashad Barksdale 81 65 91 89 64 69 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Corey Graham 87 66 87 89 63 65 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
6 Courtney Brown 90 45 88 88 72 67 ⭐⭐⭐½
7 Fred Bennett 81 66 86 96 64 63 ⭐⭐⭐½
8 Ryan Smith 86 55 85 84 71 75 ⭐⭐⭐½
9 Leon Hall 87 45 98 93 68 60 ⭐⭐⭐½
10 C.J. Gaddis 93 48 89 93 61 60 ⭐⭐⭐½
The guys just outside my Top 5
#6 Courtney Brown
This guy is dangerous.
90 SPD / 88 ACC / 88 AGI / 72 CTH / 67 TAK / 99 INJ / 95 TGH
Those are fantastic numbers.
The problem is the 45 AWR.
If his AWR were around 60, I'd probably have him #3 or #4.
He's actually one of the biggest "what if?" players in the entire draft.
#7 Fred Bennett
Very intriguing because he's 6'1" and has:
81 SPD / 66 AWR / 86 ACC / 96 AGI / 64 CTH
He's much more interesting than his 81 SPD initially suggests because of that 96 AGI + 66 AWR combination.
#8 Ryan Smith
This is the tackling specialist of the group:
75 TAK / 71 CTH / 86 SPD / 55 AWR
Plus 99 INJ / 99 TGH / 93 STA.
If your CBs are getting involved in run support, I really like him.
#9 Leon Hall
This one is fascinating.
87 SPD / 45 AWR / 98 ACC / 93 AGI / 68 CTH / 60 TAK
His athleticism is excellent, but the 45 AWR is simply too big of a concern for me given your priorities.
One important thing about your skew system
I actually think your skew rules make Revis even more attractive.
For the five attributes you're restricting to ±5, Revis starts at:
99 SPD / 61 AWR / 99 ACC / 67 CTH / 64 TAK
Even with the worst possible skew, his SPD and ACC can't fall below 94.
That's enormous.
Meanwhile, a prospect like Courtney Brown has 90 SPD / 45 AWR / 88 ACC. Even with favorable skew, he's still fighting an AWR deficit compared with Revis.
I ran the class through the same weighted priority system while allowing your specified random skew ranges. Revis was #1 in roughly 93% of simulations, which tells me he's not just #1 because of a particular weighting formula — he's legitimately separated from the class.
My Draft Board
If I were sitting in your GM chair, I'd have the board like this:
Tier 1 — Franchise CB
Darrelle Revis
Tier 2 — Strong starters
2. Brandon McDonald
3. Dante Hughes
4. Rashad Barksdale
5. Corey Graham
Tier 3 — High-upside / situational
6. Courtney Brown
7. Fred Bennett
8. Ryan Smith
9. Leon Hall
10. C.J. Gaddis
My biggest sleeper: Courtney Brown
My safest non-Revis pick: Brandon McDonald
My best balanced CB: Corey Graham
My best physical freak: Darrelle Revis
And Revis isn't close. If you're looking at this class specifically for a CB1, I'd put a pretty substantial gap between him and everyone else.
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For the top FS/SS's I used the following script:
"I have uploaded the pool for the free safety and strong safety positions. I value attributes for OLB as 1- SPD, 2- AWR, 3- ACC, 4- AGI, 5- TAK, 6- STR, 7- CTH, 8- INJ, 9- TGH, 10- JMP & 10- STA. Please give me a summary of this corp of Safeties including the top 5. The following attributes can have a skew from +5 to -5; SPD, AWR, ACC, CTH & TAK. All other attributes can have a skew from +10 to -10."
CORRECTED safety review:
I went back to the original CSV and rebuilt the entire board from scratch, this time using the columns exactly as they appear in the file. The file confirms that AWR is the third attribute after SPD and STR, and the actual AWR values are much lower than in my first analysis.
I also incorporated your skew rules rather than simply looking at the raw OVR-type numbers.
Corrected Safety Class
First, the overall picture is clearer now.
This is a very athletic safety class with mediocre awareness.
The class averages are approximately:
Attribute Avg.
SPD 85.3
AWR 56.0
ACC 85.9
AGI 84.5
TAK 72.2
STR 55.9
CTH 63.2
INJ 93.2
TGH 89.1
JMP 85.4
STA 89.1
The AWR average of only 56 is the biggest thing to understand about this class.
There isn't a single safety with an AWR in the 70s, 80s or 90s. Eric Weddle's 65 is the best AWR in the entire group.
That changes the draft considerably.
My Corrected Top 5
1. LaRon Landry — SS
90 SPD | 60 AWR | 89 ACC | 77 AGI | 85 TAK
Landry remains my #1, but for very different reasons than I originally gave you.
His profile is remarkably strong in the five attributes you care about most:
SPD: 90
AWR: 60
ACC: 89
AGI: 77
TAK: 85
And he has excellent durability:
95 INJ / 96 TGH / 99 STA
His biggest weakness is AGI at 77, but the rest of his profile is so good that I can live with it.
Most importantly, Landry doesn't have a major weakness in your top five.
Verdict: Clear #1
He's the safety I'd want most.
2. Aaron Rouse — SS
88 SPD | 62 AWR | 91 ACC | 87 AGI | 66 TAK
Rouse is fascinating.
He's 6'4", 223 lbs, and has:
88 SPD
62 AWR
91 ACC
87 AGI
That's an outstanding athletic profile.
The big problem is 66 TAK.
And because TAK is your #5 attribute, I don't think that automatically kills him.
He also has:
97 INJ / 98 TGH / 93 JMP
The one thing that really concerns me is the 66 STA, but that's your #10 attribute.
Verdict: Excellent prospect
If the Madden engine rewards your league's preference for bigger safeties, Rouse could be particularly valuable.
3. Reggie Nelson — FS
88 SPD | 52 AWR | 91 ACC | 87 AGI | 77 TAK
Nelson is one of the most balanced athletic safeties here.
His top-five profile:
88 SPD
52 AWR
91 ACC
87 AGI
77 TAK
His AWR is lower than Landry/Rouse, but he makes up for it with excellent athleticism.
He also has:
99 INJ
86 TGH
92 STA
91 JMP
The durability is outstanding.
Verdict: Very strong FS
If you need a FS specifically, I would be very comfortable taking Nelson.
4. Brandon Meriweather — SS
81 SPD | 64 AWR | 92 ACC | 86 AGI | 67 TAK
Here's where the corrected AWR information really matters.
Meriweather actually has the second-highest AWR in the class at 64.
He's also got:
92 ACC
86 AGI
So despite only 81 SPD, his acceleration/agility combination is excellent.
His biggest problems are:
81 SPD
67 TAK
84 INJ
72 TGH
But your weighting system puts SPD ahead of AWR, so I can't move him above the faster Landry/Rouse/Nelson combination.
Verdict: Very good player
He's probably the safest choice if you're willing to sacrifice some SPD for AWR.
5. Michael Griffin — FS
89 SPD | 45 AWR | 92 ACC | 83 AGI | 86 TAK
This is the most interesting ranking.
Griffin has a phenomenal athletic/football skill combination except for AWR.
His:
89 SPD
92 ACC
83 AGI
86 TAK
are excellent.
But 45 AWR is the lowest among the players we're considering for the top five.
Because you specifically put AWR at #2, I can't overlook that anymore.
Verdict: Top-5 talent with a significant AWR concern
He's a guy I'd be watching closely for the ±5 AWR progression.
The Big AWR Sleeper: Eric Weddle
This is the player I think deserves the most attention after correcting the mistake.
84 SPD
65 AWR
88 ACC
85 AGI
73 TAK
Weddle has the highest AWR in the entire safety class.
And he's not slow:
84 SPD / 88 ACC / 85 AGI
That's actually a very good athletic profile.
He's also:
91 INJ / 99 TGH
The downside is 49 STR and 57 CTH.
But again:
STR = #6
CTH = #7
while AWR is #2.
I would NOT be surprised if Weddle becomes one of your better safeties.
He's now firmly in my Tier 2.
Complete 1–19 Draft Board
I calculated a weighted score based on your exact priority order, then looked at what happens when the permitted skew is applied.
Rank Safety Pos Score Low High
1 LaRon Landry SS 79.6 72.9 85.6
2 Aaron Rouse SS 79.2 72.5 85.1
3 Reggie Nelson FS 78.0 71.3 84.1
4 Brandon Meriweather SS 77.5 70.8 84.2
5 Michael Griffin FS 77.3 70.6 84.0
6 Eric Frampton SS 77.0 70.3 82.3
7 John Wendling SS 76.9 70.2 82.9
8 Dashon Goldson FS 76.8 70.1 83.1
9 Eric Weddle FS 75.9 69.2 82.2
10 Kevin Payne SS 75.0 68.3 81.2
11 Tanard Jackson FS 74.9 68.2 81.0
12 Daren Stone FS 74.9 68.2 81.4
13 Marvin White FS 74.5 67.8 80.7
14 Brannon Condren SS 74.4 67.7 80.2
15 Michael Johnson SS 74.3 67.6 80.6
16 Brandon Harrison SS 74.1 67.4 79.5
17 Josh Gattis FS 73.1 66.4 79.1
18 Tino Sabbatelli SS 71.5 64.8 77.8
19 Gerald Alexander FS 70.0 63.3 76.6
The raw data behind these rankings is from the uploaded 2007 Safety draft pool.
But I Want to Highlight 3 Players
Eric Frampton — #6
91 SPD / 49 AWR / 93 ACC / 95 AGI / 54 TAK
This is the ultimate boom-or-bust athlete.
91 SPD + 93 ACC + 95 AGI is ridiculous.
But 54 TAK and 49 AWR are major concerns.
Your ±5 rule means his AWR can only become 44–54.
That's why I don't want to rank him higher despite the incredible athleticism.
Great athlete. Questionable football player.
Dashon Goldson — #8
93 SPD / 51 AWR / 95 ACC / 86 AGI / 75 TAK
Goldson is another guy I previously badly misread.
His 93 SPD and 95 ACC are legitimate, and 86 AGI/75 TAK are solid.
But:
51 AWR
That's a problem because of your #2 priority.
I'd still like him, but I would not take him ahead of Landry/Rouse/Nelson/Meriweather/Griffin simply because he's fast.
John Wendling — #7
90 SPD / 51 AWR / 88 ACC / 78 AGI / 82 TAK
This is a really nice middle ground.
He's not spectacular in any one of your top five attributes, but:
90 SPD + 88 ACC + 78 AGI + 82 TAK
is an excellent physical foundation.
And he's 6'1", 222 lbs with:
98 INJ / 85 TGH / 99 STA.
He's probably one of the safer picks after the top group.
My Tiers
Tier 1 — Guys I'd really want
1. LaRon Landry
2. Aaron Rouse
3. Reggie Nelson
These three stand above the rest for me.
Tier 2 — Very good starters
4. Brandon Meriweather
5. Michael Griffin
6. Eric Frampton
7. John Wendling
8. Dashon Goldson
9. Eric Weddle
This is where personal preference and the skew could really change things.
Tier 3 — Useful players / draft value
10. Kevin Payne
11. Tanard Jackson
12. Daren Stone
13. Marvin White
14. Brannon Condren
15. Michael Johnson
Tier 4 — Developmental / depth
16. Brandon Harrison
17. Josh Gattis
18. Tino Sabbatelli
19. Gerald Alexander
And One Thing I Would Change From My Previous Advice
With the correct AWR numbers, I would now say:
Don't draft a safety purely because he has elite SPD.
Your weighting makes that a trap.
For example:
Goldson: 93 SPD / 51 AWR
Frampton: 91 SPD / 49 AWR
versus
Landry: 90 SPD / 60 AWR
Rouse: 88 SPD / 62 AWR
Meriweather: 81 SPD / 64 AWR
Weddle: 84 SPD / 65 AWR
Your system tells us that the second group deserves serious consideration because they're giving up some speed in exchange for substantially better awareness.
And that is exactly why Weddle has moved from an afterthought to someone I would absolutely consider drafting.
My final draft-day order:
Landry → Rouse → Nelson → Meriweather → Griffin → Frampton/Wendling → Goldson → Weddle
