It has been a long three years since Colin Kaepernick took a snap on an NFL field.
All the while he has been a free agent, available to be signed by any NFL team. However, for the last two seasons he could not be found on Madden.
Regardless of how you feel about the person and the player, there is a fair argument that he should be in the game, as he would definitely garner a lot of attention as an in-game free agent to a big group of people.
On Saturday he had the opportunity to work out in front of NFL eyes for the first time since he became a free agent, which means he is more likely than ever to be signed. Therefore, there is more reason than ever for him to be in Madden.
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For that to happen, you’re going to have to
make him in the game. Here is how you can do that.
Appearance
This section will change depending on
whether you are creating Kaepernick in Create a Player or for Face of the
Franchise/Franchise mode. For the purpose of appearance, we’ll be focusing on
FOTF and Franchise mode because it lets you fully customize the head and face.
FINAL PRODUCT: Finally, Kaepernick is back on Madden
Instead of describing each step you can see the screenshots for yourself.
Physical Appearance
THE BASICS: You need to start somewhere
Head
GROUND UP: The first step to creating Kap's face
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SALON: Unfortunately you can't give Kaepernick his now signature afro
CHISELED: Define that jawline
FINICKY: This stage can be quite tedious
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Equipment
PLAIN AND SIMPLE: Kap keeps it plain with the swag
BARE ARM: Kap needs no sleeves or tape
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CLEAT GAME STRONG: Signed to Nike, you know his cleats will be fire
Ratings
This is where this gets interesting.
WHEELS: Don't be afraid to take off and run
Obviously, there are versions of Kaepernick
from previous Madden’s that you could look to replicate, but it’s more fun
looking at his body of work and recent workout and creating your own ratings.
SLININ' IT: Kap can throw well enough to be successful
You’ll only be able to decide his ratings if you create him in ‘Create a Player’, which means you can’t use the above appearance. But, let’s be honest, the ratings are what is really important.
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87 Speed, 88 Acceleration, 86 Agility
MOVING: It's tough to stop Kap when he gets going
Kaepernick ran a 4.53 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2011. Cam Newton ran a 4.59 and Marcus Mariota ran a 4.48. Newton currently has 85 speed and Mariota 88, so Kaepernick should have 87 speed. Newton is a good bar for Kaepernick, meaning his acceleration should be at about 88.
Agility is an interesting one, while he can
make a guy miss, he doesn’t dart around like a Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray,
thanks to his size he is closer to Cam Newton or Josh Allen. 86 makes sense.
88 Ball Carrier Vision, 75 Juke, 68 Spin,
69 Truck, 73 Stiff Arm, 79 Break Tackle, 81 Elusiveness
SET, HUT: Get back under center with Kaepernick
As fair as his ball carrier ratings are concerned, on a lot of his runs he didn’t necessarily use many ‘moves’, as it were. He was very good at finding creases and just accelerating through them.
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He broke arm tackles easily, and had a decent stiff arm to ward off tacklers, but didn’t really drop his shoulder often, really juke a guy one-on-one nor spin. However, he showed good moves when he did use them. Overall, I think 69 truck, 74 stiff arm, 68 spin and 75 juke make sense.
In addition, thanks to his running style of kind of gliding through a defense without too many moves and slipping through arm tackles, 79 break tackle, 81 elusiveness and 88 ball carrier vision make sense, especially compared to a similar runner in Josh Allen.
93 Throw Power, 84 Short Accuracy, 80 Medium
Accuracy, 77 Deep Accuracy
LAZORS: Kap can fire the ball on a line to his receivers
Kaepernick demonstrated at his workout and in the NFL that he can sling the ball on a line. He has a very strong arm. He can also get very good distance on a deep ball. His arm strength is comparable to that of Cam Newton. I went with 93, but anywhere from 91 to 94 makes sense.
His accuracy has fluctuated over his career. 62.4% is his career best completion percentage, and his career percentage sits at 59.8%.
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If you watched his workout on Saturday, his accuracy looked great, but that was obviously not in a game environment. He was often able to be pinpoint but scattered in many sailed passes or passes that fell short. So, 84, 80 and 77 accuracy ratings put him in line with his career completion percentage and what we have seen him produce.
86 Throw on the Run, 73 Throw Under
Pressure, 83 Play Action
CLEAN POCKET: Kap isn't the best with pressure in his face
Throughout his career Kaepernick was most successful on the move. Play action, roll-out passes gave him the chance to run or find a target on the move – and with his arm strength he was able to generate good power while moving.
However, throughout his career he struggled when there was pressure in his face. If he couldn’t get out of the pocket he was inaccurate or took a sack trying to escape. That being one of his biggest flaws he couldn’t have anything higher than the mid-70s.
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As part of his ability to throw on the run,
run the ball, and keep defenses on their toes, play action was a big part of
his game and it was something he did well. Often from the shotgun or pistol, so
his rating isn’t too high, but high enough to be an asset.
Attributes
IDENTITY: This is what makes Kap play like Kap
This is where we dictate his style on the
field. Having established his ratings, we now have to give him tendencies.
- QB Throw Style: Traditional 2
- QB Player Style: Scrambling
- Throw Ball Away: Yes
- Sense Pressure: Trigger Happy
- Forces Passes: Conservative
- Covers the Ball: Brace Against Medium Hitters
- High Motor: Yes
- Penalty: Disciplined
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Overall: 76
MASTERPIECE: Kap's final player card in Create a Player
Being a 76 overall puts him in the same region as Kyler Murray (74), Teddy Bridgewater (75), Jacoby Brissett (75), Jameis Winston (76), Josh Allen (76), Jared Goff (77) and Nick Foles (77).
Given his performance in 2016 with the Niners, his workout on Saturday and his entire body of work, I think that is just about right. He would start for some teams but would be a steady backup for the rest.
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Having played with this version of
Kaepernick, it feels very similar to previous Maddens’ versions of him. He is
great in open space and can outrun a lot of defenders, and he can be very good
as a passer, if not a little inconsistent in different circumstances.
Face of the Franchise and Franchise Mode
LOOKING IN A MIRROR: Kap's FOTF or Franchise mode final product
If you’re creating Kaepernick in either of these modes you cannot control his ratings. Though you can have a player that looks more like him than in Create a Player.
In these modes you can pick your player’s
archetype. For Kaepernick, the base ratings of the Scrambler QB fit best, but
Improviser isn’t too far off. Of the two, I would choose Scrambler.
If you want to use this guide to make your own Kaepernick, great! You can! However, if you’d rather download the version I’ve made (Create a Player version with ratings) you can download the official RealSport Kaepernick roster on Madden 20 on PS4: RSKAEPERNICK.
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