Was wondering if players have hidden attributes outside of their editable ratings. I know the new badges are unlocked when a player crosses a threshold rating for that badge. However, there’s always been the staff scouting reports that give those little snippets like “lanky, versatile defender ..” or “leaping ability average”. Is there any truth behind those?

There are no hidden attributes - those comments are derived in a similar way as the badges, by a player meeting a certain combination of criteria.