NFL fans stunned as Ravens GM Eric DeCosta admits using Madden ratings in player evaluation model - "This is ridiculous" 

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta turned heads during Super Bowl week. As all eliminated teams started to prepare for the offseason, DeCosta attracted the attention of NFL fans, admitting that the Ravens use player ratings from the popular franchise Madden NFL to evaluate players.

Baltimore has done a good job in recent drafts. Players such as Zay Flowers, Kyle Hamilton and Nate Wiggins have all been added in the past three years. However, to see a general manager speaking openly about Madden NFL being a source of information was surprising to the fans.

"For instance: Madden ratings. Who would have ever thought an NFL team would use Madden ratings in one of their models? Well, we do. I'm giving you just a small piece of what we do. So we have these models that we use and it spits out grades and values for players, and we use those," he said.

NFL fans were shocked to see a professional general manager taking information from video games. Here are some reactions on X:

"I remember when people would look at Kyle Hamilton's speed rating on Madden and call him a bust. Shoutout EA", joked one fan.

"I would like to add that Madden ratings are not very accurate. So unless Eric is trying to mess with other teams, I really do like using Madden ratings to evaluate players", said another fan.

"Considering Madden ratings are highly inaccurate, and non-star players typically carry the same rating for years out of laziness from EA, [that's] not something that I want to hear from my GM" was another opinion.

Eric DeCosta reveals Ravens' trade up for Lamar Jackson was a secret

DeCosta is present in New Orleans as Super Bowl LIX is three days away. In the same interview held at Radio Row, he revealed that the move in the 2018 NFL Draft to select Lamar Jackson was a secret.

Lamar did not have an agent at the time of the draft. The Ravens were able to bring him to Baltimore for a visit; after they used a first-round pick in tight end Hayden Hurst, they surprised even those who were present in the war room and traded with the Eagles to select Lamar with the 32nd overall pick.