Madden fantasy drafts are one of the most fun experiences for Madden franchise players, but it can be strenuous not knowing who to draft and when. The key to drafting a great team is to have a strategy in mind before entering the draft and knowing beforehand where every player is selected.
Madden Tools gives you the power to see where players get drafted before you even start the draft. Use this to your advantage! The player's earliest draft pick indicates who will be available and when in each round. Look through the draft board and our analytics pages while adding players to the watch list so you don't miss a player during the draft.
Franchise Player
Take the player you'll build around for years. After this pick, QBs get much harder to come by.
Select the foundation piece for your franchise in this round. Do you want a lockdown corner that only the best receivers can get open against? Maybe a mobile QB, so your opponent always has to worry about the possibility of you taking off. Whatever you decide, this player should be around for years to come and make an immediate impact on your team. After this pick, QBs will be much harder to come by.
Assistant to the Franchise Player
Pair a support piece with your round 1 pick, or draft to counter what your rivals just took.
There are two ways to go about this round. You can select a support piece for your franchise player or choose a player to counter your divisional opponents' franchise players.
Synergy Strategy
If you choose the former, think about good synergies. A franchise corner benefits from a premier pass rusher or a safety to cover the opposite side of the field. A franchise quarterback needs a great target to help him move the ball downfield or maybe a great running back to keep the defense guessing so they can't commit to the pass every play. These synergies will ensure that side of the ball will be a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, this option can leave the other side of your team without any great superstars, but you'll still be able to build a strong overall team.
Rivalry Strategy
Want to make sure you can counter your rivals instead? This option leaves you with the possibility of still executing the Synergy strategy. The main con of this strategy is that unless you're playing an individual franchise, you likely won't have much time to discover who your rivals picked. If they're nice enough to announce their picks, there's still hope! Another con is that not all counters are obvious.
If your rivals selected wide receivers with their first picks, an obvious counter would be a shutdown corner. But what if they chose a QB? A corner can still be a good pick because they will likely want to surround their QB with weapons. However, an edge rusher or interior pass rusher may be a better option to keep them under constant pressure. If your rivals selected a pass rusher, is it worth grabbing an offensive lineman this early in the draft? This strategy is viable but will require much more effort to build a team around.
The Balancer
Even out your roster, or double down and make one side of the ball unstoppable.
The strategy used in round two will affect what you do in this round. If your team is heavy on one side of the ball, this is the time to balance out your team. If you only want to keep one side of your team a force, that is also an option. This round is for a player to balance out your team as a whole or to be the final balancing piece on one side.
Franchise Junior Strategy
If you're looking to balance your team, this is the strategy to use. If your previous picks were for one side of the ball, this next selection could be your franchise piece for the other side. This is the player you want to build around on that side of the ball. He won't be as top-tier as the earlier selections, but he should still provide your team with a solid piece for years to come.
Franchise Offense/Defense
Stack one side of your team and make it unstoppable. If you have one good player and already complimented him with another player, find a piece to bring the unit together. Maybe you drafted to have a strong pass offense/defense to this point. Look at selecting a player to help with the running game. This balancing act will balance out the skill set for your overloaded side of the ball, ensuring they can compete in all facets of the game.
Draft Board
Know where every player goes before you pick
The board shows each player's earliest draft pick, so you can see who will still be there next round instead of guessing. Add them to your watch list and never lose track mid-draft.
Open the Draft Board
Old Superstar or Up and Coming Star
Win now with an elite veteran, or win later with a raw superstar-dev youngster.
Round four has many elite but older veterans and many young but more raw superstar dev players. If you're looking for an immediate Super Bowl push, it makes sense to look at a veteran instead. The older veterans still have a few years in them before they start regressing, but it's a bet against time to get that Lombardi.
The young star allows you to build the player into the exact player you want and will be part of the franchise longer. He will also keep getting better while the veterans regress, but comes at the cost of not being as good today.
WR or Defense
Last call for a superstar WR. Already have one? Start taking defense before the pool dries up.
Round five is one of the last rounds with a superstar WR. If you don't have a starting WR at this point, it's likely a good idea to get one. If you do have a WR1, look at drafting defense. Many defensive players go this round so the talent pool will begin to dry up.
Defense Wins Championships
No CB1 yet? Take one here. Already set? Build the front seven, especially the line.
This round is full of a variety of star players on the defensive side of the ball. If you don't have a starting CB, this is a good round to get a solid one here. If you do have a CB1, look at drafting the front seven, especially on the defensive line.
Seal the Edges
Edge rushers and tackles in the trenches, corners and receivers on the boundary.
Whether you are sealing the edges in the trenches or near the boundaries, this round has some great talented stars.
Trenches
There are a lot of good edge rushers and offensive tackles that get selected in this round. Whether you need to save your QB's blindside or you need to get a good pass rusher to help your defense, this is the round to do it.
Boundaries
This round is also a good time to get a solid cornerback or wide receiver. These guys won't be immediate franchise players, but they will be solid pieces for years to come and could develop into tomorrow's superstars.
Analytics
See the real position mix for any round
Every round above links here. Position distribution shows what actually gets drafted in each round across real leagues, so 'many defensive players go this round' becomes a number you can plan against.
Open position distribution
Fill a Gap
Best-available round. Slight defensive line lean, but take the scheme fit.
This round is full of variety, so find a synergery pick for your scheme. It is weighed a little more to the defensive line, but there are good players everywhere.
Battle on a Small Island
Receivers and corners. The WR pool is deeper, so lean offense.
Wide receivers and corners are the theme of this round. The WR pool is a little more talented than the corners, so it might be wise to target offensive side of the ball. These players won't make the splash of two franchise goliaths facing off, but depth is key in to make it all the way.
Your Future Home
Fill the last holes for your play style, and don't overreach.
At this point, you've got the foundation and some framing created for your team. Next, fill in the missing pieces according to your play style. Make sure to use the Draft Board and our analytics pages to help you complete the rest of the fantasy draft so you don't overreach for any players!
After the draft
Track the league you just drafted
The draft is the start. Import your league to follow standings, rosters, stats and results week to week, and see whether those ten picks actually built a contender.
Set up your league
Don't want to plan all ten rounds?
Draft Genius reads the board and tells you who to take, pick by pick.