Guide to Franchise Mode for beginners?

[JosephyW]

Hi folks,

Long time lurker, first time account holder/poster. I'm a couple days out of a pretty severe hip surgery and have decided to improve my Madden skills. I've reached the point at which I've been eking out well-played wins against the Cowboys and have even graduated toward mediocre user control of the safety, which made me think I was ready for franchise mode. This would have been the first time ever playing franchise mode in a sports video game. Usually, I just play exhibitions against the computer because I embarrass myself online and never thought I'd have the time to run a franchise.

So I go into the menu and have NO IDEA what is going on. Reading the manual is no help either, as it assumes that anybody playing franchise mode already knows what they're doing.

Does anybody know of any good beginner guides to franchise mode? What would be especially helpful is if there was a guide that sort of helped me get acclimated to the week-by-week rhythm of what to do in franchise mode, aside from playing my games. I've been told unhelpfully on other boards that it's easy to figure out, but it's just not intuitive to me. (Sidenote: do most people train their players throughout the season, or do they skip that step because it's pretty horrible?)

Anyway, thank yinz so much for your time and consideration! I really appreciate your help in getting me acclimated to the next step of Madden fandom and helping me create a new Steelers Dynasty!

Best wishes,
Joseph

[GKEnialb]

You can try searching the Web, but it's not the easiest thing to find for some reason. Here's a start:

http://www.guidespot.com/guides/vide...g_in_franchise

[JosephyW]

Thanks, that's actually pretty helpful. Maybe what I really need is a nice guide to how the salary cap actually works in the NFL.

For example, when I read a paragraph like

Quote:

This is ever so important when working in franchise mode. You want to make sure that you do not exceed the cap, or you will not have any money come the next resigning period. Also, when you do sign or trade for players, make sure to note how that will affect your cap. Finally, you can free up lots of cap room, in most cases, by resigning your higher-rated players to lengthy 6-7 year contracts. When resigning the players that you like to increase cap room, make sure to adjust the bonus, sometimes it can increase your cap room for that season, which greatly helps.

Most of it goes over my head in terms of the hows and whys. I'm going to read these two articles (posted in case any other n00bs find their way to this thread):

http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/faq.asp
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/question644.htm

So, what do you typically do in between each game? What menu items do you regularly visit and/or adjust? Do you save most of your front office stuff for the off-season?

Thanks again for the thoughtful help.

[roll2tide]

First off, I'm no franchise guru. I hate playing offline and only do it to improve my skills or just get some practice time in. There's my disclaimer, here's my advice:

When I enter franchise mode there are a few things I do right off the bat such as:

-Examine my depth chart for free agent needs. What positions do I feel like I need to address right now in terms of free agents?

-Highly rated players above 30 years old. They are talented and have high AWR usually, but they are expensive in terms of the cap. Can I trade them for lesser players with more potential? Can I maybe get a 1st round pick from a bad team(bad record=higher pick)? You can use the Trading Block here to offer a player for a 1st round pick and see if anyone bites.

-Players with 1 year left on their contract that I may want to resign long term. If I have a guy that's 26 years old, rated in the mid to high 80's, and in the last year of a contract then I want to resign him to a long term deal. There's no strategical advantage to this other than I know it's done. Lesser players with 1 year left I just leave alone until the offseason.

**Note-at this point I'm also usually formulating a general plan for my offseason draft. I've resigned my young studs(if I had any that needed it), I've possibly picked up a draft pick via trades or maybe I've signed a couple of young players via free agency or other trades. Time to check my depth chart again and see if I feel good about my team.

At this point I usually sim the preseason.

Now I'll go to Front Office>Scouting and scout players at the positions that I know I may want to draft for after the season. I use all 10 scouting slots.

Now I want to make sure that I've gone to Settings>Gameplay and make sure that I have my Off and Def playbooks picked out and then I'll usually go ahead and set some Off and Def audibles.

At this point I'm ready to play. Train or don't train before each game-up to you, I usually don't. I have no idea if there are new scouting options each play week, you'll just have to check.

I do very little other than play throughout the remainder of the season. Maybe a trade or FA signing if I feel like I really need it but usually I just go play and don't mess with anything else until after the season.

Rinse and repeat.

[roll2tide]

About the cap:

The cap is a limit that you can spend on player salaries. It can be affected when you resign a player (shorter and longer contracts vary in terms of bonus money and the per year salary that will count towards your cap). Trading a player can incur a 'penalty' or 'cap hit'. You shouldn't have any worries in the early years so just watch how your cap room changes after trades, FA signings, and drafts to get an idea of how it works.

[roll2tide]

make sure to check your franchise settings. I leave 'Fill Roster' set to CPU but I change everything else to "User" and I turn sim injuries off so that the league doesn't fall apart if I sim a few weeks here and there.

[JosephyW]

Oh my gosh, that's the most helpful overview of franchise mode I've ever seen. Considering how the Steelers are playing this game, I'm looking for some line support. Ha ha.

Thank you so much.

[Nastysmooth]

This is a strategy guide for Madden NFL 2009. I have been playing the game “Madden NFL” in different versions since about 2002. I have been very pleased with how the franchise has developed in that time, and I think that I can say that I have mastered the game, in the sense that I have had success turning around any franchise, no matter how bad. As a public service, since I have found very little information on overall strategy in franchise mode, especially in regards to the draft, I am now posting my insights into how to turn any team into a winning franchise, even the Detroit Lions or Buffalo Bills. I will start with some general rules to live by and then break down how to scout and draft each position.
When taking over any franchise, it is important to remember that you are probably taking over a team who has a ways to go in order to contend in the playoffs. If not, you have probably picked a team like the Colts, and don’t need any advice from me. Just maintain them where they are strong and improve their weak areas through free agency. This is a good team to start with if you are new to this game or to franchise mode.
Otherwise, follow these rules. You need to start with a general approach if you are going to take a team like the Buffalo Bills. They are not good in any recent version of this game. You are going to have good draft picks, but will scare away most decent free agents if you can’t use those picks to their best advantage, which will leave your franchise wallowing in mediocrity.

The 5 year plan
You should follow a general 5-year plan to turn your team around. Years 1 and 2 are crucial for your franchise if it is to be successful, and will also be the most difficult. You will fill your team with the best possible free agents while getting the most out of your draft picks. If you develop your young players properly, you should expect to at least contend for the playoffs by year 3, and should be good enough to win the superbowl in year 5. This should be in your mind, especially in offseasons before years 3 and 5. At those points, you should have found at least two starters per year in the draft, even if they are still developing. The players you drafted highest in year 1 should be rated at least 90 by year 3. If you have met these basic milestones, then years 3 And 5 are when you should be ultra-aggressive in free agency to fill any positions that are still up in the air or not as good as they could be.
Use training camp ONLY on young players who have a shot to still be on the team in 5 years. You should pick the best attribute for each position and really hammer on it in training camp until it is maxed out. You will not be able to fix everything so just pick the #1 stat. I’ll cover each one in the position-by position section.

The Regular Season/1st Owner Mode Offseason
Once the season starts, raise all prices across the board. This will ensure that your team will not go bankrupt while you are rebuilding. Don’t bother with advertising at first. You will slowly increase it each year, starting with the first year you feel your team can start winning (Year 2 or 3). After simulating your first season, which will be a tough year in which you start every young player you can, go straight into the first offseason. Make sure you go to your stadium and buy the medical facility ASAP. Any upgrades that help decrease injuries should be your first priority. There will be new ones as you go, so look for them every year.
Then fire your whole coaching staff. You should have your pick of coordinators to take over as head coach, but will have to wait a year or two to have a plethora of great coordinators to stay at that position. Although many of them will be available, this is a great time to think about the kind of team you want to be, to pick your identity. Although your team will eventually be really good across the board, you will need to be great at at least one area in order to win a superbowl. This is where it really helps to have some knowledge of football. The possible coaches you can hire will follow both the offensive and defensive system from the team they came from, so you need to pick an identity you really like, on both sides of the ball. For example, John Gruden passes like crazy in a west coast system and runs the 4-3 zone. Tom Coughlin runs a conservative run offense and the 4-3. Marty Shottenheimer runs a conservative run offense and the 3-4 defense. Johnson from the eagles runs a west coast system and the 4-3 with heavy blitzing. You can change coaches later, but if you can get some stability at head coach, that is really nice. Just pick a team you want to emulate and pick up their system. Then you have to worry about getting the players to run their system effectively. Remember, you will not only need to emphasize different positions to run each system, you will literally need different personnel depending on the defensive system you pick. (2 defensive tackles vs 2 middle linebackers)
Personally, I really like Tom Coughlin because he runs a conservative run offense, which is good for a young team. He also has good stats, which will help in developing a young team, and he runs the 4-3, and I really like having that extra defensive lineman. I realize that you can and sometimes should change your offensive and defensive schemes, but I have found that coaches tend to do a little better when you stick with their system and emphasize bringing in the right players as opposed to changing the system to match the roster’s holes. Also, try to change good coaches as little as possible. As for you coordinators, try to hire balanced people who can coach any position. I recommend Al Saunders or Mike Martz for offensive coordinator. Keep giving them raises to keep them. Otherwise you will struggle a bit every time you make a coaching change.
Last but not least, hire the best training staff you can. I recommend elite health, who have the best attribute numbers overall. Groups with high prevention and other numbers in the 90s are good too. That should do it for owner mode. Move on to the offseason.

1st 2 Offseasons
You should have top 5 draft picks if you took a team like the Bills or Lions. You must draft especially well in these first 2 years if you are to have the foundation that will attract good free agents later. However, the catch 22 about this situation is that even the best draft picks will suck if they don’t have some talent to build themselves up around. Therefore, your first act once you reach restricted free agency, re-signing, and regular free agency should be to institute new standards on your team. Try to cut/trade and overall replace everyone who isn’t worth a damn. Go through each position’s stats and anyone who doesn’t meet up with standards of production at their position, or anyone who has an overall rating lower than 75, or who is in their 30’s should be cut. They should be traded if they are old and rated in the 80’s or higher. Offensive lineman and fullbacks should be exempt from these rules, except the one about stats.
By now, you should have cut the majority of the roster. Go through the roster again and cut anyone who is weak at the crucial stat at their position, which I will list later. Anyone who you believe has a shot to be good and young enough to survive the cuts should be offered a deal in this re-signing period. They should re-sign, even if they are only moderately happy. If they refuse to re-sign, and are any good, franchise tag and then trade them. I usually trade them to a team I hate. Make sure you shop around to get the best deal. Anyone who is young and rated 80 or higher should be kept, but try to not give out huge deals at this point. Every player will be fighting for his position, and you don’t want to get stuck for cap penalties later. In general, the salary cap will keep going up until it won’t matter. Just don’t screw yourself over in years 3-5. Make your cuts and trades in year 1, and get over the cap penalties before you will need every penny of cap room.
You should be able to build a better roster across the board through free agency. Target the best free agents you can at every position where you don’t already have a young player you are developing for the future. Most won’t sign with you, but go down each list each day systematically. Offer contracts to really good younger players, in their 20’s, with the contract only going until the second they turn 30. Some will sign with you, some won’t. If you cannot get a decent young player to fill a spot, then give a 1-year contract to the best free agent you can, even if he’s a hundred years old. You will keep going down the list at each position until your roster is rated at least 80 across the board, with an emphasis on youth and the crucial stats at each position. A few positions should be rated in the high 80’s at least. If you have to go lower, don’t worry, just get the best person you can. Keep this process up every year. Always field the best overall roster you can.
I highly recommend really targeting the offensive line. They are the unsung heroes of any championship team. They make it so all your other draft picks and free agents on the offense get their numbers boosted. Plus, they can often still play even after losing their speed, so they can usually have exceptionally long, productive careers. They are always worth the money to sign. Even if it means building a line of 37-year olds, it is worth it to the rest of your team. Just keep signing 34+ players to 1 year contracts every year and give longer ones to anyone great and younger than that. It is a crucial part of your overall team. Never judge your QB/RB/WRs until you have at least a basic offensive line with no glaring holes. You should target this immediately.
You have now built a foundational roster, which should nurture your draft picks to play their best. You hopefully found a few young players who can be made better. Don’t worry if you are not great at every position, just do the best you can, and be a pest. Keep after your free agents, and get the best person you can across the board.

The Draft
It is now time for your first draft. Generally speaking, the rule is “Use them when your draft picks are high, trade them when your draft picks are low.” Once your first few drafts start panning out and you start making the playoffs, you’ll have a better roster and more freedom to trade up for the best player you can find each year. This is just a general rule however, because there are sometimes very good players at certain positions like guard, center, and linebacker lower in the draft.
Your job for your first two or three picks is to get the best player available, regardless of position. Then, you should just be using your lower-round picks on developmental players who have at least a shot to be good. Don’t bother using your scouts on lower rounds. They are far too valuable to make sure you never miss with your first pick each year. Each year you should be looking to add at least a starter or two through the draft, hopefully more. You MUST at least get a decent player if you are picking in the first round. You might be able to survive one bad pick in the 1st round, but any more and it will be tough if you want a real winning team.
Scouting is the key to great drafts in this version of madden. You are basically given three opportunities to find out what makes a player tick. You have the college all-star game, which I tend to skip, and the two parts of scouting: playing as the player in drills, and looking at the scouting report, both of which can tell you a lot. Sadly, the drills are quite unbalanced. Some, like catching drills, have margin for error. Some, like blocking and pass rushing drills, do not. It is simply easier to get the scouting report for some positions than others, but the great equalizer is the fact that you can always take over a player and see what he can do. Each position has a strategy of what you should be looking for in each drill. Even when you can’t get a scouting report, you should still be able to identify a decent player at that position.
When the draft starts, you should have a list of the players you love. It is your job to get as many of these players on your team as possible. Hopefully, you are in a position to draft one from where you are. Don’t be afraid to trade up if there is a player you have to have.
Generally speaking, looking at the draft preview overall list will be a good general guideline for who is going where. The computer will tend to take the player who is rated the best overall, but there will always be surprises in each draft. 1 or 2 players will seriously fall in the draft, which is why high second round picks are nice. This means that if you want a certain player, count their position on the overall chart and assume they will not fall lower than that. If you have decided that they are the player you have to have, then it is never a bad idea to trade up at least a few spots ahead of his spot on the overall list to make sure you get him. If you are sure, he will be worth it. Lower rounds are where you get backups and situational players. If you are picking in the first round, you MUST get good players. Sometimes all top players will be duds, and it will be necessary to trade down to get a player you really like. That is fine, but generally you shouldn’t be afraid to take a player at least a few spots ahead of where he is projected. If you have scouted him properly he will be worth it. Always have back-up plans if your guy is taken.
Find someone who really fits his position as described below, and fill your roster with players who meet the minimums of crucial stats, who whenever possible your scouts raved about. Then look carefully at each position each year and replace anyone who is performing below the standards listed, giving rookies a pass to develop. Ideally, you should let every rookie be the first backup for at least one position for one season before starting.


Developing Draft Picks
Use training camp on your draft picks as much as possible. Like before, pick the crucial stat and max it out, then move on to other players. Use all the drills. You should try to set up situations all over your team where a talented rookie backs up an experienced veteran for at least 1 year, and then is simply put in the starting lineup. Try to let a talented rookie backup multiple spots at once. I especially love making one player the backup for ALL the offensive line or linebacker positions. You can pretty much count on him getting playing time, and it’s a great way to develop a talented rookie. Using this setup to develop your first-rounders is an especially good idea.
If you find a player who is “out of position” in any way, he can often get a huge boost by switching positions. Any offensive lineman/safety/linebacker/defensive end should be basically interchangeable with any other in their area. If you need a left end, and there is only a right end, take him and change his position by signing one too many people at his current position and changing him under “edit player” in the roster. If you need a center and there isn’t one, find a slightly undersized tackle who is a finesse pass blocker and switch his position. If you find an underrated run-blocking tackle who is 380 and really strong, think about switching him to guard. I like to have a strong safety who can tackle like a beast, and more of a fast, coverage free safety. I often find the right player in the opposite position in the draft, and boost them from 80’s to 90’s real fast by switching their position. This works at any spot where position switching makes sense. Offensive tackles can epecially be counted on to gain at least a few overall points by switching positions.

Year 3
Follow these overall strategies through your first two years: developing your young players while picking up the best free agents in their 20’s you can at each position, while filling holes in the roster with the best possible 1-year contract free agents. By the end of the first two seasons, you should have a decent foundation of young players to build on, who you have drafted or found in free agency and worked on in training camp. Year 3 is crucial. You should have a few young stars rated 90ish, ready to have a breakout season, and a few with potential to get to that level. Look through your roster systematically and ANYONE who is not playing up to the standards listed should be replaced if possible. You should be getting enough attention in year 3 that it will yield better results in free agency.
You should have someone who will be at least passable at each position and a good amount of players you like. I would estimate that you should have at least 90 OVR or not much less at every position, including some players you drafted. However, if you scouted them well, you really like them, and they don’t have terrible numbers as a backup, then they should be put in the starting lineup at this point, even if they are only rated 81 or whatever.
Don’t forget at this point to set team captains. These players will get a boost to AWR, so I highly recommend you use this on your high draft picks. When you are creating a depth chart, you should put developmental young players in as starters whenever you think they have potential. They will play through the pre-season, and then you will advance to the regular season. Then, before simulating the regular season, look back at your depth chart. It will often be different. This is telling you which guy on the depth chart did the best in the preseason. If any of your young players are still listed as the starter, then they should be kept in. Generally, you want the best one to start, but keep in mind if you started a rookie in the preseason, then naturally the former starter kicked *** against backups in the preseason, and did pretty well. I highly recommend taking the time to look carefully at the stats for each preseason game as you go, so you can get a good sense of how your young players are really performing.
Frankly, it all comes down to a single moment when you put a player in the starting roster and see what he can do. Simply put, if you properly scouted him, he’ll be able to play. If he can play you can make him better. If he can’t play at all, you can never really make him perform better, even if you make him 99 in training camp. Stick with the players who simply perform. They will show you who they are through wins and stats, and they will be the ones who will be great in 5 years. They should be given the long-term deals. Save your deals for players who earn it, but once they earn it, you should come to them about an extention sooner rather than later, even if it means giving up other things. You should able to draft enough good players to keep your cap manageable.
By year 5, you should have a really solid roster of draft picks and great free agents. Just make sure you have no holes in your roster whatsoever at that point.



Quarterback:
Good numbers: QB rating of 80+ for young players, 90+ for veterans
Ideal size: 6’2-6’8
Crucial stats: 1) THA 2) AWR 3) THP 4) INJ

Draft strategies: This is a very tough position to draft for because the drill is hard, making the scouting report hard, but not impossible to get. I highly recommend taking advantage of the fact that there are two drills for the QB. The pocket drill is the one that is the easiest to get the report from. Time the drill so you dodge the first rusher, and then get in a good position to get rid of the ball before the second one comes. Sadly, the drill sometimes gets way harder for top picks, with tons of rushers. Even if you can’t win the drill, look carefully at his throwing accuracy. He should have decent mechanics, and consistently put the ball in a position where his receiver could catch it. Any wild throws should be huge strikes against him. If his accuracy looks decent, then put him in the other drill. I have always found this drill to be very difficult because some of the throws do not have a clear cut by the receiver to tell you when to throw. However, look for the QB’s short accuracy. Even if there is no trophy here, a decent QB should get at least 1 throw through a target in each set of three. They should make each “easy” throw. If you like his accuracy, then I recommend putting him through 1 more pocket drill if you still need his report. But don’t be afraid to draft any QB who has shown “uncanny accuracy,” even if you don’t have his report. You can always increase his THP, and his AWR will eventually grow on it’s own by leaps and bounds. But accuracy is an innate feature of each NFL QB that can be improved, but cannot be taught. Regardless of where you take your QB in the draft, I think that this is the whole point of drafting a QB. They have to throw first. I tend to shy away from scrambling QBs for this reason. I like them to have more of their attributes in pure throwing.
Ideally, he should have good height, say at least 6’2 or taller. This simply means that he will be able to see the field better. However, if a player has “uncanny accuracy” and a good report, then never be afraid to take an undersized player.
The main reason to really want the scouting report for a QB is to see his resistence to injury. Although this is important, I have found that it is not quite as important as protecting any QB with a great offensive line. I have had QBs never miss more than a few games even though their INJ was 70 or lower, because their line was great. The report is also good for telling you about their THA, THP, and AWR. Don’t worry if they say that he is too inconsistent to take early. Look for great accuracy, especially from players listed as “pocket QB”, and you should find a good player somewhere. And I have found that there are usually good QB prospects all over the draft, especially in the 2nd-4th round or so. If you are going to take a player high in the 1st round, it is a huge gamble, so make sure you do whatever you need to do to get his report. Then, even if your scouts rave about him, make your own judgement about his accuracy. Don’t take him if he brings wild throws and inconsistency to your team. A better strategy overall is to take QBs in the 2nd-5th round and to put them through the development strategy until you find one who can perform.

Development strategy: This is a tough position to develop because you have to take a leap of faith for a player who has yet to develop. The best way to develop a QB is to focus on his THA rating in the pocket drill. Ideally, you should let your QB sit behind a veteran for a year or two while you work on his accuracy. Then in year 2 or 3, just put him in, even if his OVR is still only 81 or whatever. You will keep working on his THA until it is maxed out, then AWR, then switch to the accuracy drill to increase his THP. You will get better numbers for your players if you let them take 99 accuracy into the accuracy drill. Also, look at his numbers every year, as a starter or as a backup. If he played as the #2, then his QB rating should tell you if he’s ready to start, even if he only played in one game. Look for a QB rating of at least 80, preferably 90+. Give all rookies a pass on this, but ideally his rating should never be below 80.
Any QB who performs at a high level should be locked into a long-term deal. Quarterbacks who can meet this standard while young will usually continue to improve well into their 30’s, if they are developed properly and surrounded by talent.

Running Back:
Crucial stats: 1) SPD, 2) BKT 3) ACC 4) CAR 5) INJ, CTH, PBK, STA
Ideal Size: 5’10 230ish

Draft strategies:
One clear problem with this game is the fact that running backs seem to just churn out 2,000 yard seasons each year. This is “fixed” by the fact that the draft doesn’t produce a huge amount of great speed running backs. They are therefore a crucial part of any winning team. It can be hard to draft them because the drill can be difficult. I recommend either following a strategy in the run drill designed to get out of bounds after every gain, or just using the KR drill. Remember, this drill will tell you important stuff about your running back, but will not tell you about his speed, the most important stat. Watch him carefully in the KR drill and make sure he does not appear slow. Also look for a player who consistently fights forward for extra yards after following his blockers as far as he can.
Also pay attention to his 40 time. 4.29 is great. 4.35 is good. 4.40 should maybe get a look, but be careful. In my opinion, if a RB is going to be slow, he had better be the best power back ever, who can completely run over people. He had better be huge, and have monster bench reps. However, that way I can’t follow my strategy in training camp. I have found that a better overall strategy for the offense is to have a great line laying blocks so any fast running back can run through the holes. Then, if you also take a top running back in the draft, then he should have a lot of other good attributes besides speed that you can build on. Since great speed backs are a bit rare, I highly recommend watching the draft like a hawk for players with great 40 times who the scouts rave about, then doing whatever it takes, even trading a pretty good back and picks to get him. If you do it right, you should get a great player at a key position who can grind out 2,000 yard seasons for you. Overall, this is a great position to use a high pick on, because it is so important and rare to find a great one.

Development strategies: If you have taken a good speed back, then I recommend putting him in right away. RB is one position that can simply play from the first moment, and since their careers tend to be short, he will appreciate getting to start immediately. Just make sure you get the FB in free agency who has the best RBK rating money can buy, and the best o-line you can.
In training camp, focus on BKT, then CAR, then AGI. Get whatever trophy you can to advance in the drill. Then, in the third run-through of the drill the defense will tend to over-pursue. Just get the ball, get your FB to block the first guy, and try to get at least 5 yards and get out of bounds. Keep doing this the whole time. If your RB has a speed rating of at least 90, then this strategy should work. It will give you extra carries every time you don’t have to run the clock between plays, and should give you the ability to reliably get gold in this drill, giving you 5 points per year. In 2-3 years your running game should be the envy of the league.

FullBack:

If you read the previous section you know how crucial this position is. Overall, it is a good position to target in free agency because it is so rare to find a great one in the draft. Just get a player who is rated as close to OVR 99 as possible with the highest possible RBK rating. High 60’s is pretty good. 70-80 is ideal. If he can also catch, great. If he can also run, great. Just get a great blocker and don’t let him go. A great fullback can remain great at blocking the hell out of the first guy even when he is losing his speed. This is the one position other than the offensive line where I don’t care how old someone is. If you must draft a developmental one to have as a backup, that is what 7th round picks are for.

Wide receiver:

Good numbers:
4th WR: 250 yds,
3rd WR: 400 yds,
2nd WR: 800 yds,
1st WR: 1000 yds.

Crucial stats: 1) CTH, 2) SPD, 3) ACC, 4) JMP , 5) AWR, 6) INJ
40 time: 4.29ish
IdeaL size: 6’0 or taller

Draft strategies: Although you can use the KR drill on WRs, I highly recommend using the catching drill. Any WR worth his salt should be able to run between most of the throws in time, and should have no more than one drop of an easy pass, in addition to having a good report. This thing is, a great report is no guarantee that he will play great. That is why you must use your own judgement on if he is a “ball hawk” or not. Watch him in the drill and look for a player who will make the catch no matter what. Size helps, but even little guys can be ball hawks, so watch out. The other strategy is to take fast wide receivers all over the lower rounds and keep trying the ones who can catch out until you find ones who can play. Even if you have to cut a lot of them, you should be able to get some decent receivers, as well as at least one fast KR out of the deal. I recommend using both strategies, taking recivers all over the draft. It never hurts your QB to have a lot of depth here.

Development strategies: The nice thing about WR is that all the positions are interchangeable, and every spot has a chance for playing time. I have found that if you work on a player’s catching in camp, and move him from 4th WR to 3rd to 2nd to 1st, year by year, then he will have the best chance of success. Overall, I recommend maintaining really good top 4 wide receivers. (For example: 99, 90, 88, 82-rookie) They will help your QB’s numbers and they will not be disgruntled as quickly as they would be at other positions because they are all still seeing playing time.

Tight end:
Good numbers: 500+ yds
Ideal size: 6’7” 280
40 time: 4.5ish or better

Draft strategies: This is a severely underrated position. It has the potential to make a huge impact on your team, and yet some ignore it. Be on the lookout, because this is one position that tends to fall in the draft. You can often get decent ones in the second or third round. But don’t ignore first rounders if they have a great 40 time and can really catch. Scout this position the same way you would a WR. I think that a great TE should be able to do well in the catching drill. He will be a little too slow to make every catch, but look for a receiver who doesn’t drop any passes that are coming right at him. Personally, being able to mix those qualities with ideal size is a great luxery for a football team. Also, you should be looking for strong, blocking TEs in the lower rounds of the draft. They come onto the field for goal line offense, so make sure you have 2 backup TEs who have a RBK rating of at least 60.

Development strategies: Just work on his catching in training camp. He should be able to get some decent numbers in your lineup right away, and will really help your QB’s rating. Make sure you make him both the 1st TE and the 5th WR on the depth chart. He should get some nice extra yards against mismatches in the spread offense. The backup TEs should just get better on their own.

Offensive Tackle:

Good numbers: 50+ pancake blocks, single digit sacks.

Ideal: 300+ lbs
30+ bench reps

Draft strategies: This is, in my opinion, the most important position on the team. The offensive line is crucial, and this is the hardest position on the line to play. Ideally, you want your best player here, protecting your QB’s blindside as well as opening holes in the running game. This is also a tricky position to draft because the drill is very difficult. It is exceedingly hard to get the scouting report because you have to block against waves of pass rushers.
Simply put, there are three types of players in that drill. Failures will give up a sack to the first guy by being thrown aside or run around. Do not draft these players. OK players will hold a good block against the first guy, but give up a sack because the second rusher can’t be blocked also. Great players, will do something called “pancake block.” This essentially means blocking a defender completely off his feet. These players will knock the first defender out, and then look for someone else to block, getting one after another with minimal adjustment from you. These players are the ones you must target. They will simply be able to play, regardless of their OVR rating when they are drafted. I have literally gotten pro-bowlers out of players rated 74 as rookies. Just look for good size, good bench reps, and for repeated pancake blocks in the drill. Also take big, strong offensive lineman lower in the draft and see if they can play as backups. My rule of the draft is simple. “When in doubt, take a big, strong offensive lineman.”
The real beauty of this position is the fact that tackles can be so versatile. If they seem like huge, run-blocking monsters with ok speed, then they should be dominating at guard. If they are slightly undersized finesse pass blockers, they should be playing center. If they can combine both elements and be a dominating blocker overall, then they should stay at tackle. Not that you shouldn’t scout other o-line positions. It’s just that you would be foolish not to take advantage of the fact that a good tackle can be moved to other positions and get an automatic boost to his OVR.

Development strategies: Once you have a player you think can really block, put him in as a backup for one to three years. Whenever possible, make that player the backup for multiple offensive line positions. It will give him a lot of playing time without too much pressure. If you really love him, then let him start at guard. Then look at his numbers. If he got 2 pancakes and gave up 3 sacks, that’s bad. If he got 10 pancakes and gave up 1 or no sacks, that’s great. Remember, if you are starting a rookie player on the o-line, guard is where he should be playing at first. It is less cerebral of a position and requires much more brute force. But you do not want rookies starting at tackle or center because they have to know what they are doing to make good blocking reads. Once this backup time is up, you should be able to just put him in as a starter at his position and let him get better at it each year. Every lineman will have an off-year here and there. But in general you should be able to see solid numbers from your whole o-line and at least one pro-bowler.

Guard:
Ideal size: 6’7” 380
See “offensive tackle” for ideal numbers.
Guards ideally are the real huge mauling blockers on your team. The important thing is that guards have to be great run blockers because they are responsible for pulling in the run game. They should have at least OK speed (Like 60ish), OK acceleration (70ish) and a lot of strength (90+). However, guard is a position that is more about pushing the guy in front of you back than anything else. This is where rookie tackles should start at first while they get better. However, guards especially are a position that tends to fall in the draft. It is very easy to find great guards in the lower ends of the first round. It is a great position to really target by staying put in the draft when you have low picks. Other, more desperate teams will target the skill players and will tend to leave great guards high and dry.

Center:
Bench reps: 30+
Center is slightly different than the other offensive line positions because he chooses the blocking scheme for the o-line. That is why he must be a great pass blocker, be overall very balanced, and must be smart and experienced. This is one position where I don’t mind taking a player who is a little less strong and a little more skilled. Therefore, in their numbers I look for a few less pancakes and even fewer sacks. Also, I recommend letting a center sit for at least a year or two before going in. Otherwise a rookie will make it tough on your whole o-line by calling the wrong blocks.
Like guard, it is a position tends to fall in the draft. I have often found really talented centers at the 24 spot or lower in the draft.


Safety:
Crucial stats: 1) TAK 2) SPD 3) ACC 4) CTH 5)
Good numbers: 50+ tackles, 4+ int, less than 20 passes allowed. One of three for young players.
Draft strategies: Safety is a crucial position that I really emphasize. Since they are usually the last one between the receiver and the end zone, they have to be very good. Ideally, they should have great tackling, SPD over 90, and overall good other stats. I tend to really try to get the best free agents possible and let non-first rounders develop. I just draft them for speed/bench reps and give them time to play as backups. If you do take a safety in the first round, make sure you scout them in tackling. Use the KR drill if you have to. That should yield a report that will tell you everything crucial: SPD, TAK, AWR, OVR, ACC. Take players who the scouts like.
Generally, I like having a strong tackling beast at SS, and a faster coverage guy at FS. Look for these players regardless of safety position, and switch them if needs be. They will often get a bonus to OVR if you find and switch the right player.

Development strategies: Give him a year as the backup for both safety positions, then just put him in as a starter. You should be able to reliably get 4 points in training camp tackling until it is over 90, then later use the DB drill on getting ACC over 90. I love using these drills exclusively for safeties until they no longer need them.

Cornerback:
Crucial stats: 1) SPD 2) ACC 3) JMP 4) AWR 5) CTH
Good Numbers: 4+ INT, less than 16 cths allowed
Draft strategy: This is a position that is important and deep enough to be a common target all over the draft. You will find that they are easy to scout using the KR drill. Pick players with a great 40 time, like 4.2 or 4.3ish. You should be able to scout dominant players in the early parts of the draft, and find great lower-round prospects all over the draft.

Developmental strategy: The great thing about the cornerback position is that, like WR, you should consider at least the first 3 as starters. Keep a lot of depth here through the draft and some young players will surprise you. Put young players in as the 3rd cornerback and they will get the right amount of playing time without the pressure of going against the best of the best. Whenever possible, use the DB drill to get their ACC over 90.

Linebacker:
Crucial stats: 1) TAK 2) SPD 3) ACC 4) AWR 5) AGI 6) CTH
4.35, 20 bench reps
Ideal size: 6’4” 250
Good numbers: 100+ tackles, 4+ sacks
Young player numbers: 50+ tackles, any sacks.
Draft strategy: Linebacker is another position that should be heavily targeted in the draft. The tackling drill should be totally doable for any decent linebacker. Really amazing players (88ish) will tend to be available in the top 10, and really solid players will be available all over the draft. Draft for speed and bench reps, and anyone who the scouts like. Don’t worry if they don’t have ideal size. With really amazing players with great speed, you’ll be getting more tackles for a loss consistently.
Also, remember that the positions here are interchangeable. Fast players should be outside, and big, strong tackling beasts should be inside. Changing positions to the optimal spot should always be a consideration.

Defensive tackle:
300+ lbs
30+ bench reps
6’4 300+
This can be a slightly tricky position to draft. A good strategy is to just pick up players all over the draft who have the right size and strength, then just seeing what they can do. If you are going to take one high in the draft, they will be overpaid for a while, so make sure you use the pass rush drill and really test him. DT should have the scouts raving about his STR and aggressiveness. Don’t overlook tackling and durability. Plus, you should be able to do any type of rush: overpowering or rushing around, successfully. No missed sacks in the drill, ever. Go ahead and take an undersized player you love if you run the 4-3, but if you run the 3-4, you MUST have a large DT who can take up space.

Defensive end:
In my opinion, this can be the toughest position to draft for the simple reason that pass rushing is something that can’t be taught. For someone to be worth drafting high, they would have to be high at every attribute the scouts will tell you about. However, even then there is no guarantee that they will be any good. You will put them in, and they will either pass rush or not. Put them through the pass rush and tackling drills, and look for them to have at least OK speed, great strength, and an ability to get to the target. If they can’t get off a block, they will never be too successful. The ideal situation is to fill the position with proven pass rushers in free agency, and then once you have less immediate needs, using all your draft picks on the best possible pass rusher, thus giving him the best chance to succeed.
You must remember that a DE will take time to succeed. Do yourserlf a favor and use the DE drill to it’s fullest. There will be 3 blockers against you. Just rip the first one, spin or rip on the second, and then make the 3rd think you are coming in straight, but then suddenly go in a half circle around him to the flag. (This drill also can be used for OL, if they have a lot of strength and at least 60ish speed.) Focus on a minimum of strength, like 75 and as much ACC as possible.

Kicker: 80+% kick percentage
This is what the lower ends of the draft are for. Wait until the 6th-7th round and take a K rated in the third or fourth round. Keep doing this until you get a decent power kicker, hopefully with an OVR of 80ish, or not much lower. Then make him the backup and work on him in training camp for as many years as it takes to make his KAC 99 or near there. 3 or 4 years, just keep him developing until he seems to be able to be the best at his position. Then start him and watch his numbers. He should start with about an 80% rating, then it should keep going up. Just keep working on him until he is maxed out.

Punter:
Good numbers: 44.0+ avg, 34+ net avg
Find the best free agent possible. Draft picks tend to be developmental players. Just find one with a great KPW, the best possible KAC, and then watch his numbers. Keep cycling through players until you find one who performs consistently.

Kick Returner:
Good numbers: 20+ KR yds, 10+ PR yds, 4 TDs
This position is often overlooked. Just keep drafting fast recivers all over the draft until you find one with a good KR rating also. Then put him in regardless of OVR. You want SPD of 99ish, KR of 99ish, and not terrible catching, even if the OVR rating is 72. Make one person your punt and kick returner in the depth chart. I recommend making sure this position is not filled by a starter somewhere else, because this player will tend to get injured from taking multiple hits every game. If you can’t find one in the draft, go into free agency. They will be a steal for the potential impact they can have on your team. A great special teams season can net you 3 or 4 wins in close games you wouldn’t have had before. It is a must for any season where you want to get to the playoffs.