What is an OVR rating in football?
An OVR, or overall rating, is a single number that summarizes a football player's ability by combining the individual attributes that matter at their position. Each attribute is scored, the ones that matter most for the position are weighted heaviest, and the result is rolled up into one headline number.
Where the idea comes from
The overall rating is a convention borrowed from third-party sports video games, which score every player attribute by attribute and then publish one summary number. Players and coaches picked up the shorthand because it is easy to say and easy to compare: an attribute sheet takes a minute to read, an overall takes a second.
Outside of a game, an OVR has no official governing body and no standard formula. It is a way of organizing an honest self-scouting report, not a certification.
How an overall rating is calculated
Almost every version of the calculation works the same way: score each attribute on a common scale, apply position-specific weights, then average. The weights are the part that matters.
- Score the attributes. Speed, strength, agility, catching, tackling, awareness, and so on, each on the same scale so they can be compared.
- Weight by position. Throw accuracy is decisive for a quarterback and close to irrelevant for a nose tackle. Weighting is what keeps the number honest.
- Roll up. The weighted attributes are combined into a single overall, usually expressed on a 0 to 99 scale.
Two players can have identical attribute sheets and different overalls simply because they play different positions. That is intended behavior, not a flaw.
What the numbers roughly mean
There is no official scale, but the 0 to 99 range is generally read in broad bands. Treat these as rough conventions rather than measured thresholds.
| Band | Common reading |
|---|---|
| 90 and up | Elite for the level being rated; a player the scheme is built around |
| 80 to 89 | Clear starter with a standout strength |
| 70 to 79 | Solid contributor, usually with one attribute holding the number down |
| 60 to 69 | Rotational or developing; the fundamentals are there and need reps |
| Below 60 | Early in development, or being rated against a level above the player's current one |
The band only means something relative to the level you are rating against. A number that reads as average against a college standard can be a strong number for a sophomore in high school, so always know which comparison group is in play.
Why the attribute sheet matters more than the number
The overall is a summary, and summaries hide things. A receiver with elite speed and poor hands and a receiver with average speed and reliable hands can land on the same overall while being completely different players to game plan around.
The useful work is underneath: find the two or three lowest-weighted-but-high-impact attributes for your position and train those. Raising a decisive attribute a few points moves the overall more than raising an attribute the position barely uses.
How to raise your OVR
Improve the underlying attribute, then re-rate. That loop is the whole method, and it works best when the re-rating is honest.
- Rate yourself first. A baseline you slightly inflate produces a training plan aimed at the wrong things.
- Pick the highest-weight weakness. Not the weakness that bothers you most, the one your position leans on hardest.
- Train it in blocks. Attributes move over weeks of consistent reps, not in a single session.
- Re-rate on a schedule. Monthly is frequent enough to see movement and slow enough to be real.
How MyOVR does it
MyOVR rates you across up to 40 attributes grouped into 7 categories, using a position-specific assessment, and only the attributes that matter for your position count toward your overall. Your rating and per-attribute scores are stored so you can see how they change over time, and the app generates an AI weekly training plan around your position, level, goals, and available training days to move them. Every drill comes with setup instructions, coaching cues, and common mistakes to avoid.
Related guides
Football position attributes explained — which attributes carry the most weight at each spot on the field.
How to build a weekly football training plan — turning a weak attribute into a training week.
Get your own position-specific rating and weekly plan in MyOVR.