The real-life version Alex Cappa signs his rookie contract. | Photo provided by Tampa Buccaneers.

Humboldt State football fans can soon know what it feels like to wield the bearded brawn of former Lumberjack lineman Alex Cappa.

Madden 19, the latest edition of Electronic Arts’ flagship NFL video game franchise, will be released in one week. And Cappa, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third round of the NFL Draft in April, is in the game.

While Madden 19 is not yet available in stores, EA Sports has released the individual ratings of each player for this year’s game. Madden game developers rate players on a scale from 0 to 99 — the higher the rating a player receives, the better their avatar will be in the game.

It’s common for rookie players to start out with fairly low ratings, as game developers have no in-game NFL stats to base their original ratings on. So it’s no surprise that Cappa has been saddled with a modest overall grade of 68. However, his rating could fluctuate throughout the season based on his real-life performance.

Cappa is the second Lumberjack to be immortalized in video game history. According to digital archives of the game, former Lumberjack offensive lineman turned NFL journeyman Taylor Boggs — who went undrafted but still managed to played center for a number of NFL teams — received an overall rating of 67 when he was first added to the game in Madden 2015.

Madden 19 comes out on August 10. Keep an eye on Cappa this NFL season as he may work his way into a starting role and therefore become a commonly used player in the game.

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