How to Make the Best Team on a Madden 10 Franchise Draft

Develop a team philosophy. Before the draft, decide if you want to focus on building a passing attack, a power run game, or a lockdown defense. Answering these questions before drafting gives your team direction and will make tough decisions between players much easier.

Construct a draft board. Browse a list of names and write down several players that fit your team's plan. If you want to run the ball, for example, decide which running backs you want to target early, and then scout some quick receivers that you can pick up later in the draft. Remember that many players are better than their ratings suggest, so you should check out individual statistics rather than just overall numbers.

Draft franchise players with your first few picks. These are the players you will build your team around, so use your first two or three choices to build strengths. For offensive teams, consider elite skill players (quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends) and reliable offensive linemen. For defensive teams, think about drafting a shutdown cornerback or a bruising defensive tackle. Stick to your game plan, don't let Adrian Peterson tempt you into drafting him first if you don't want a run-first team.

Find valuable players to fill out your roster. Starting 90 overall players across the board is impossible, so pay attention to statistics relevant to a player's position. For example, a defensive tackle might lose overall points due to a poor speed rating, even if he has excellent power moves and block shedding skills. A little research goes a long way toward finding solid starters and depth as the draft wears on.

Manage your depth chart. Check to make sure all your players are starting where you want them and where they fit best. It's worth noting that certain players are actually better away from their natural positions. Outside linebackers almost always rate higher as defensive ends, for example.

Choose your team's playbooks. Madden's playbooks reflect teams' real-life strengths and weaknesses, so choose books from teams that are similar to yours. Think about using New England's offense if your team looks to pass often, or Tennessee's if you want to run the ball. On defense, most teams use either a 4-3 or a 3-4 scheme: choose the 4-3 if you have two run-stuffing defensive tackles, and a 3-4 if you have two speedy middle linebackers.