Madden rating the latest proof of what D’Andre Swift has to prove

D’Andre Swift is entering an important season in his career, and his Madden rating is the latest proof of how much he has to prove.

Over his first two NFL seasons, Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift has teased his potential. He has 108 career receptions in 26 games, and he topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage with 62 catches last year.

But as electric as Swift is with the ball in his hands, he hasn’t been available all the time to have the ball in his hands as heavily as anyone would like. He missed three games as a rookie in 2020, and four games last year with a shoulder injury.

Lions running backs coach Duce Staley challenged Swift to know the difference between being hurt and injured. Swift appears to have responded to the challenge, and his struggles as a between the tackles runner last year, by in coming for offseason work noticeably bigger.

Madden rating latest proof of how D’Andre Swift is viewed, how much he has to prove

Swift has landed pretty low in running back rankings from FanSided’s NFL Spin Zone and Pro Football Network this offseason–No. 31 and No. 32 respectively.

This week, the ratings for the Madden 23 video game have been rolled out and Swift isn’t much higher there.

With an 80 rating, significantly dinged by a 68 rating in the strength category, Swift is the 29th-ranked running back in Madden 23. As expected, Swift noticed and tweeted out a video calling on EA Sports to “get me right” in the new edition of the game.

Here are the Madden 23 ratings for the other Lions’ running backs.

Jamaal Williams: 77
Craig Reynolds: 66
Jermar Jefferson: 65
Godwin Igwebuike: 64

If Swift stays healthy this season, it’s hard to see anything else that would stop him from becoming one of the best running backs in the NFL. But that is the No. 1 rub against him until he shows otherwise, and his Madden 23 rating is more evidence of how much Swift has to prove.