Pre-ordering Madden NFL 25 will give you a headstart in Ultimate Team because both editions of the game come with pre-order bonus packs containing high-rated players. You can only choose a handful of the players from each pack, though, and some are clearly better than others. If you don’t want to make the wrong choice, then this guide will show you the best choices from every Madden 25 pre-order pack.

Table of contents

• Best Hall of Fame Player
• Best Strategy Item
• Best AKA Player

Best Hall of Fame Player

People who pre-order the Deluxe Edition of Madden NFL 25 will receive a Hall of Fame pack that lets them choose between three 82 OVR players. These are the three options for the Hall of Fame Player Item in Madden 25 Ultimate Team.

• Julius Peppers
• Dwight Freeney
• Devin Hester

Just pick Devin Hester. Trust us. Peppers and Freeney are solid choices, but Hestner is one of the best receivers that you can get this early in Ultimate Team and his speed rating of 84 is incredibly good. He’ll always be open and he’s great at running routes, making him an ideal receiver for any team.

Best Strategy Item

Pre-ordering any edition of Madden NFL 25 will net you a choice of two Strategy Items to give you a small boost at the beginning of your Ultimate Team career. These are your options.

• Strong Arm or Slot Specialist
• Slot Specialist or Contain

We recommend going with Strong Arm as your first selection. It’ll buff your Quarterback with better throw power and deep throwing accuracy. If you choose Wester as your receiver from the Hall of Fame pack, then you’ve got a great duo already. For the second choice, go with Slot Specialist. This will make your defense a bit stronger.

Best AKA Player

Pre-ordering Madden NFL 25 also gets you an AKA player pack that gives you a choice between two 83 OVR players. Here’s who’s included.

• DeAndre Hopkins (D-Hop)
• Tyron Matthew (Honey Badger)

Both are great choices, but we recommend choosing Tyron Matthew over DeAndre Hopkins. Not only can you get a good receiver to take D-Hop’s place from the Hall of Fame pack, but his stats aren’t the best either. On the other hand, Tyron Matthew is a solid Safety who will fit into any team. You can’t go wrong with either of these players, though, so just pick your favorite as you perfect your RPO.