[Hobbes217]

I might be the odd one out but I actually support these "high" ratings. First off I'm sure EA wants the top players rated fairly high otherwise they wouldn't be as fun to play with. If Manziel was a 66 and Clowney was a 71 there would be very little hype for the rookie class and the game. Also higher ratings give the players more of an impact. We all know that rookies (some, not all) are going to excel and going to make a huge difference for their teams this year, we just can't always predict who. Other than free agency, without the draft there's not much else to shake up the rosters from year to year.

Also there were 256 players drafted and probable a few dozen more UDFA that will make rosters this year. If only 13 rookies are rated 78+ that's only 5% of the new class making it into the upper 70s and being impact starters in the game.

Also it could be worse. Remember when Reggie Bush came out as a 87 OVR?