Best young players to sign and trade in Madden 25 Franchise Mode

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✓ At A Glance

Here are the best young players:

  • Brock Purdy
  • C.J. Stroud
  • Kenneth Walker
  • Chris Olave
  • Garrett Wilson
  • Sam LaPorta
  • Sauce Gardner
  • Justin Madubuike
  • Kyle Hamilton

In Franchise Mode, it’s generally a good idea to find the best young players. These players are going to either be good for a very long time or can grow into their potential and turn in to stars, thus providing your team with good value.

Veterans are good, too, but to set your franchise up for long-term success, the younger someone is the better. We’ll look primarily at players still on their rookie contracts that you should try to sign or trade for.

Best young QBs

Unfortunately, a lot of young quarterbacks get signed early on into their rookie contracts. This was the case for Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, and others. That leaves mostly sophomores and rookies to look to for your Franchise Mode playthrough. The best, however, would be Brock Purdy, who is an 85 OVR in his third season.

Other good options include:

  • C.J. Stroud (81 OVR)
  • Caleb Williams (76 OVR)
  • Drake Maye (74 OVR)
  • Anthony Richardson (74 OVR)
Madden 25 best young players: Kenneth Walker takes a handoff
Kenneth Walker is the best young RB. Image captured by VideoGamer

Running backs

The best young running back in Madden is Kenneth Walker of the Seattle Seahawks. He is an 88 OVR after two excellent seasons. He has a lot of potential still, so he could easily get much better quickly and could become one of the best players in the game. Other good young running backs include:

  • Breece Hall (84 OVR)
  • Jahmyr Gibbs (84 OVR)
  • Bijan Robinson (82 OVR)

Wide receivers

If you’re looking for a great young wide receiver, look no further than Chris Olave. The New Orleans Saints star is already an 86 OVR in his third season. He is closely followed by fellow 2022 draft class member Garrett Wilson (85 OVR). Other good ones include:

  • Zay Flowers (85 OVR)
  • Jordan Addison (82 OVR)
  • Drake London (82 OVR)
  • Marvin Harrison Jr. (79 OVR)

Tight ends

Based on his trajectory, Sam LaPorta will be one of the best tight ends period soon. For now, he’s easily the best young tight end. He’s rated 86 after one season, so you’d do well to sign him for Franchise Mode or trade for him. Other top tight ends include:

  • Kyle Pitts (83 OVR)
  • Cole Kmet (83 OVR)
  • Dalton Kincaid (79 OVR)
Madden 25 best young players: Kyle Hamilton drops into coverage
Kyle Hamilton is a great young safety. Image captured by VideoGamer

Best young defensive players

Offense isn’t the only place where you need to look for young talent. It would help if you had a good, talented, young defense as well. There are players in key spots that you can target for this:

PositionPlayerOVR
CBSauce Gardner97
CBPatrick Surtain II95
MLBErnest Jones83
ROLBQuay Walker79
LOLB Kayvon Thibodeaux79
LEJustin Madubuike92
REAidan Hutchinson88
DTJalen Carter82
SSBudda Baker90
SSKyle Hamilton89
FSJabrill Peppers85
Best young defensive players

The best young stars will help you win now and in the future. Keep in mind that this really only applies to Franchise Mode, as the age of players doesn’t matter in Superstar, Exhibition, or Ultimate Team.

About the Author

Zachary Roberts

Zach is a professional writer with experience in a variety of areas. He loves gaming, especially Zelda, Mario, sports games, Pokémon, Fortnite, and so many more!

Madden NFL 25

  • Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
  • Genre(s): Simulation, Sports, Strategy