Former Hogs receive rookie ratings for Madden NFL 20

Arkansas had three players drafted earlier this year and now - in the middle of the summer - the trio has hit another milestone on their way to achieving their dream of playing in the NFL.

EA Sports released its rookie ratings for the popular video game Madden NFL 20 and the former Razorbacks' order is somewhat surprising.

Defensive tackle Armon Watts leads the group with a 66 overall rating, followed by linebacker Dre Greenlaw at 63 overall and offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt at 61 overall. That is the reverse order in which they were selected in April’s NFL Draft.

Watts was a sixth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings and his best attribute, according to Madden, is his strength, which received an 84 rating. He was also given ratings of 79 and 78 for acceleration and tackling, respectively. Among 18 rookie defensive tackles, he is ranked 11th.

After not playing much his first four years on campus, Watts exploded as a fifth-year senior. His seven sacks were the most on the team and were near the top nationally among defensive tackles.

Greenlaw was a fifth-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers and his best attribute is acceleration, which received an 86 rating from Madden. He also had solid ratings for tackling (84), speed (83) and agility (80). Among 24 rookie middle linebackers, he is tied for 16th.

Injuries impacted Greenlaw’s career with the Razorbacks, but he still managed to rack up 321 tackles in 40 games. Had he stayed healthy, he could have made a run at the UA’s all-time record, but instead he missed 10 full games and parts of several others.

Froholdt was the first Arkansas player taken in the 2019 NFL Draft, going to the New England Patriots in the fourth round, reuniting him with former head coach Bret Bielema. According to Madden, his best attributes are strength (85) and lead blocking (81). Among 10 rookie left guards, he is ranked sixth.

Originally a four-star defensive tackle, Froholdt flipped sides of the ball and spent the last three years of his career at Arkansas as an offensive lineman. Primarily a guard, he also played some center and even earned All-SEC honors as a senior.

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