The Cleveland Browns have been getting a lot of negative publicity this offseason, amongst just a lot of publicity, in general. The Browns don't seem to have much to write home about from the outside looking in, but quietly, they have assembled a crucial rookie class for the future foundation of the franchise.
And that doesn't include their quarterback selections.
Of all sources to recognize it, the Madden 26 ratings experts seem to be on time, maybe even early when it comes to their love for one Browns rookie in particular. When it comes to Madden ratings, you expect the ones to stand out to be of the negative variety, but they gave an extremely high rating to Browns rookie running back Dylan Sampson, the second back the Browns took in the 2025 NFL Draft and a 4th-round pick out of Tennessee.
Browns weirdest Madden 26 rating is RB Dylan Sampson, and it's actually a good thing
Sampson started in the preseason over Jerome Ford and appears likely to be the team's RB1 for the coming season. That doesn't mean Jerome Ford is going to be riding the pine all year, but it does mean that the Browns might have found a little something special.
Scrolling through the entire list of Browns player ratings, everything seems pretty reasonable until you get to Sampson, who is rated 74 overall. His rating is the same as second-round pick Quinshon Judkins and above both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. It's only one rating below second-round linebacker Carson Schwesinger (75) and is just a notch below some other rookie running backs like Omarion Hampton (77), TreVeyon Henderson (75), and Kaleb Johnson (75).
Is this a weird ranking if you were high on Sampson in the pre-draft process? Not at all, but it's weird because you wouldn't expect the people in charge of the Madden ratings to be so far ahead of the curve on this one. It's almost like they called the Browns' running back position group before the competition even took place.
Sampson has a chance to ascend even further as their ratings get adjusted throughout the season. He was impressive in the preseason for the Browns, and could even be a sleeper candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Considering at the time of this post being written, Quinshon Judkins's situation is unresolved, Sampson has a chance to make sure he takes the opportunity he's earned and never look back.