Best Players to Trade For in Madden 21

If you are not making trades in Madden 21 Franchise mode, you are hurting your teams potential. There are over 2,000 players in Madden 21, it would be naive to think that you have the best 53 available on your roster. When making trades there are a few criteria to look for that will help shape your outlook on targeting players. I have created a criteria to look for as well as a list of the best players to trade for in Madden 21.

Best Players to Trade For in Madden 21

• Mitchell Schwartz – 96 – Kansas City Chiefs
• Quenton Nelson – 94 – Indianapolis Colts
• Jason Kelce – 94 – Philadelphia Eagles
• Nick Chubb – 92 – Cleveland Browns
• Brian Burns – 79 – Carolina Panthers
• Devin White – 78 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Montez Sweat – 76 – Washington Football Team
• Noah Fant – 74 – Denver Broncos
• Jalen Reagor – 73 – Philadelphia Eagles
• Blake Cashman – 70 – New York Jets
• K.J. Hamler – 70 – Denver Broncos
• Albert Okwuegbunam – 66 – Denver Broncos

Immediate Impact Players

This category is obviously the most ideal, but not necessarily the best option, especially long term. That said, you are going to want to make an impact trade or two the second you get your hands on your new team. This category is reserved for players that have a high overall and will be an immediate upgrade on your team. These players will be placed at the top of your depth chart have the potential to put your team over the edge. The will on the market for two main reasons.

The most common is age, there are great players with one to three years of elite production left that teams will place a low value on. The other reason is that the team undervalues the position of the player, like a running back for example.

RT – Mitchell Schwartz – 96 – Kansas City Chiefs

There are only 15 players with a higher rating than Mitchell Schwartz. That said, he has been quite easy to trade for in the last few Madden games. Schwartz is without a doubt one of the best players to trade for in Madden 21. He is the highest rated right tackle in the game, meaning he would be an upgrade on literally any team he could be traded to. Schwartz is an absolute anchor on the edge and can give your team a few years of elite play.

Example Trade: Alex Anzalone (73 Overall MLB), 5th Round Pick, 7th Round Pick for Mitchell Schwartz

Future Superstars

The best players to trade for in Madden 21 are the players that will be staples of your dynasty. The best way to find those players is through young, developmental talent. At the start of each franchise, you should be looking to acquire some young pieces with the intention of developing them into perennial Pro Bowlers. You will have to build these players from the ground up as they blossom into the next group of elite players.

Finding these future superstars is not as hard as it sounds. By the time you are done trading you should have a group of three to five young players that could become your core in the near future. The best players to target are the players with elite athletic profiles that can hone the rest of their skills through development. I have a large list of young players that can be developed into superstars in just a couple of seasons. It will be important to give these players a heavy workload in order to win awards, which directly result in development.

My number one recommendation is to find a fast receiver to give a bunch of targets to in the slot, and super fast linebacker to send on blitzes and to rack up tackles. Those two positions can be developed quickly and are also huge components of a roster. Here are a list of players that fit the “future superstar” criteria and can be traded for easily in Madden 21.

The younger a player is the faster he will develop. That is something to keep in mind when deciding which players to target. One big bonus for rookies is that they are eligible for Rookie of the Year, as well as everything a non-rookie is eligible for. An extra award will do wonders for a players development.

RE – Brian Burns – 79 – Carolina Panthers

Brian Burns is a perfect example of a player that is primed to breakout in year two. Burns has 88 speed and 91 acceleration coming off the edge. That type of speed is game breaking. He will excel as a typical edge rusher in a 4-3 or as an outside linebacker in a 3-4. If used correctly, Burns could be a league leader in sacks and tackles for loss.

MLB – Devin White – 78 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Devin White is the perfect prototype for a middle linebacker. He will excel in the run game and has 71 zone coverage. His biggest asset is his 92 speed and 91 acceleration. Speed kills in Madden and White will be a dominant franchise player in Madden 21. Devin White is without a doubt one of the best players to trade for in Madden 21.

RE – Montez Sweat – 76 – Washington Football Team

Sweat is another player with elite speed on defense. With 91 speed and 93 acceleration, Sweat will explode off the line of scrimmage. Brian Burns is the more complete player at the moment, but Sweat is a close second. Pairing the two would create the fastest edge rushing duo in the game. I recommend adding Sweat for relatively cheap and banking on his potential.

TE – Noah Fant – 74 – Denver Broncos

The Broncos clearly value athleticism at tight end with Fant and Okwuegbunam. Both players are almost identical athletically. Fant is 6’4″, 249 lbs with 89 speed and 91 acceleration. He has an elite athletic profile and a quality baseline of skills. With the enough targets Fant will become an elite option at tight end. His speed and size will be a nightmare for opposing defenses. He is a mismatch against almost any prototype which will make it easy to target the second year tight end.

WR – Jalen Reagor – 73 – Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Reagor is one of the more refined rookies in the rookie draft class. Like K.J. Hamler, Reagor is known for his explosive playmaking ability. He is just a tad slower than Hamler but just as shift. Jalen has 93 speed, 92 acceleration, 94 agility, and 91 change of direction. His catching and route running ratings are very impressive for a rookie. Reagor is rated highly in all the important categories by rookie standards. He is good enough to start week one and will have a massive second year bump if given the workload as a rookie.

MLB – Blake Cashman – 70 – New York Jets

Patrick Queen should be your top trade target at middle linebacker. His development trait will be higher and his ability to reach superstardom is greater. That said, Cashman will be much easier to trade for, and has equal athleticism. They both have 89 speed and 90 acceleration, which is off the charts for a linebacker. Cashman is only two ratings lower than Queen, at 70 overall. The biggest seperator between the two is the development trait and the fact that Cashman is not eligible for Rookie of the Year.

Cashman in a vacuum is still a phenomenal trade target, with elite athleticism to rack up stats right away. I was able to get Cashman all the way up to 99 overall in just two seasons with some user skill. Make sure to send Cashman on blitzes often so he is always in the backfield. The sacks and tackles for loss will add up over the course of a season. He is also one of the better players in the league to spy mobile quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray. I will likely have Cashman on all of my franchise teams in Madden 21 considering his insane upside and lack of trade value.

WR – K.J. Hamler – 70 – Denver Broncos

This article is making me realize how highly I believe in the Broncos young skill players in Madden 21. Hamler is an asset in franchise mode because he is one of the shiftiest players in the league, as a rookie. He has 94 speed, 95 acceleration, 93 agility, and a 90 change of direction rating. Hamler is the perfect example of someone who can take a slant to the house. With a 65 release rating I would advise keeping Hamler in the slot, which is his best fit anyway. Hamler is easy to trade for and will be explosive immediately. He will far outplay his overall as a rookie, and develop extremely fast with regular targets. K.J. Hamler is definitely one of the best players to trade for in Madden 21.

TE – Albert Okwuegbunam – 66 – Denver Broncos

I fully understand why marketing a 66 overall will be a tough sell, but hear me out. Okwuegbunam is a 6’5″, 255 lb tight end with 88 speed and 91 acceleration. He has an 80 catch in traffic rating, but will need development to become a star. His speed will create separation over middle, but his 64 release rating and abysmal route running ratings will need to be upgraded. These ratings will increase at an accelerated rate because they are so low to begin with.

If you can get Okwuegbunam 50+ yards a game and some red zone targets, he should move up the tight end ranks quickly. The more targets he gets the better he will become. Tight ends are historically easy to target in Madden, and Okwuegbunam looks like he was built in a lab to become the next great NFL tight end. He should be easy to acquire because of his overall and having Noah Fant ahead of him on the depth chart. Though he is a 66 overall, Albert Okwuegbunam is one of the best players to trade for in Madden 21.

If you liked this article, check out the rest of my Madden 21 content. If you want to see Madden’s full player ratings, click here.