Hypothetical AP System: The Connor Edition

ROSTER CONSTRUCTION: CURRENT WORLD
I find myself with six ability players (two on offense, four on defense), half of whom are over the 90 OVR threshold where we can get some truly wild shit. Let’s go player by player and construct the best possible version of this trash-ass Bengals roster.
QB Elijah Ford (79 OVR) (Gator Great)
Only two abilities possible below 80 OVR, so for the purposes of making this slightly more interesting let’s say he got his next upgrade and is an 80 OVR Field General.
Ability 1: Quick Draw (1 point)
I don’t give a fuck about high point deadeye (on god I still don’t know how to throw a high ball vs. a low ball) so we’ll take the only real impactful ability on the board here for one point. I don’t love that quick draw can still lead to under pressure throws, but there’s real in-game value to having the ball come out quicker in specific situations. If slinger 1 is gunslinger lite, then let’s call quick draw gunslinger zero calorie. A couple fewer sacks over the course of the season is worth it.
Ability 2: Safety Valve (0 points)
Choosing between improved HB catching or TE catching, I’ll go with the former just cause bitchass James Cook sold me a couple times whereas I have yet to see a TE truly drop a wide open pass this cycle.
LT Trent Brown (86 OVR) (Gator Great)
Ability 1: Threat Detector (0 points)
Part of using this new AP system will be finding market inefficiencies both pre-cycle and as the system continues to evolve and shift throughout the cycle, and Threat Detector costing nothing is some clownery outta Madden School. With none of the elite pass protection abilities available to me I’ll take the next best thing; the ability that lets you identify pressure and gameplan around it on 3rd and 4th down.
Ability 2: Nasty Streak (3 points, 4 total)
The strong powers! The counters! The stretches! In my AP world Brown will consistently dominate blocks at the second level, clearing up running lanes and adding another potential dimension to my run-first offense. Might prefer this on a guard, but I’ll take it on my LT and watch him get athletic.
SS Quan Hawkins (73 OVR) (Gator Great)
XF Ability: Shutdown (1 point, 5 total)
Tbh I’ve never seen the shutdown ability activated before (at least not to my knowledge) but mut.gg describes it as one step ahead and pick artist rolled into one! Even on a SS that tends to struggle in pass coverage, that sounds pretty OP for only a one-point cost.
NOTE: Universal Coverage is not included on the Madden School page. If it was, I’d probably include it at a one-point cost (but not three or five) over Shutdown as it grants better coverage + animations in both zone and man defense.
RE Nick Bosa (99 OVR)
Ability 1: Edge Threat Elite (5 points, 10 total)
And here’s where we get freaky. In the process of staying relatively conservative with ability distribution for the rest of the roster, I’ve given myself 20 total points to play with on my three >90 OVR d-linemen. We’ll start by giving Bosa edge threat elite, the goated ability that combines the effects of edge threat and under pressure into one.
Ability 2: Pass Committed (1 point, 11 total)
Another market inefficiency! I admittedly don’t know if the effects of edge threat elite and pass committed stack, but we’re going to spend only one point on an ability that GUARANTEES dominant block shed animations whenever you pass commit. Combine that with the under pressure ability inherent in edge threat elite? Good luck ever converting a 3rd and long on these Bengals again.
XF Ability: Unstoppable Force (3 points, 14 total)
Easily the best XF for DE’s in the game, Unstoppable Force when activated will turn already a top-tier DE into an absolute cheat code. Increased win rate. Increased block shed speed. And good luck doubling him cause, as you’re about to see, doing that is nothing short of a death sentence.
NOTE: IN THIS AP WORLD, WE’LL MOVE T.J WATT FROM LOLB TO DE TO GRANT HIM ACCESS TO EDGE THREAT ELITE.
LE T.J Watt (98 OVR)
Ability 1: Edge Threat Elite (5 points, 19 total)
Same rationale as above.
Ability 2: Reach Elite (0 points)
Not ideal for a DE, but we’re trying to save Kenny Clark 3 points to get one of those second-tier impactful abilities. Could help on outside runs? Maybe CMC wouldn’t have humiliated me and my family on the first play of the season if Watt had this. idk idk
XF Ability: Unstoppable Force (3 points, 22 total)
Same rationale as above.
DT Kenny Clark (92 OVR)
Ability 1: Under Pressure (3 points, 25 total)
And here’s where we have fully expended our point total. That’s three defensive linemen now with under pressure abilities, essentially fucking any QB that doesn’t have Fearless equipped. We played the cards we were dealt and constructed one of the most fearsome defensive lines in recent memory.
Ability 2: Reach Elite (0 points)
Ideal for a DT! I don’t rate reach elite super highly but it’s a market inefficiency at a zero point cost, and equipping it on both an interior lineman and EDGE could make life difficult both stepping up in the pocket and running to the right side of the line.