The 2025 NFL draft was an interesting class, and it might be too early to revisit it. But too bad, here are the top ten draft classes across the NFL from the 2025 NFL draft. For this exercise, AV from Pro Football Reference was used to provide an unbiased look. It’s not a perfect stat, but it can give a good look at players who otherwise don’t get a lot of love, like guards and defensive tackles.
Best Draft Classes from the 2025 NFL Draft
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Key Players – Emeka Egbuka, Elijah Roberts, Tez Johnson
Total AV – 22
Emeka Egbuka did a lot of the heavy lifting with this class. His nine AV is among the highest in the class, which is part of the reason he was firmly in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race throughout the season. Tez Johnson didn’t see the field much on offense, but was a solid injury replacement and provided value on special teams, which is a slam dunk pick in the seventh round.
9. Carolina Panthers
Key Players – Tetairoa McMillan, Nic Scourton, Lathan Ransom
Total AV – 23
The Panthers used an accuracy by volume approach in the 2025 draft, and it sort of worked. McMillan is the only player who made a noticeable difference on a week-by-week basis, but they found multiple players who were able to work in as spot starters or depth pieces.
8. Cincinnati Bengals
Key Players – Demetrius Knight, Dylan Fairchild, Barrett Carter
Total AV – 23
The Bengals didn’t get everything they expected out of Shemar Stewart. But they did get meaningful contributions from multiple rookies across their defense, and a guard who started 15 games for them in the third round. It didn’t result in the season they hoped for, but it was a step in the right direction for the organization. The tie goes to the team that scored the same AV with fewer players in their class.
7. Miami Dolphins
Key Players – Jordan Phillips, Jonah Savaiinaea, Kenneth Grant
Total AV – 24
Many are unhappy with the Savaiinaea pick, but he’s a solid guard who contributed to a running game that lacked physicality early in the season. Kenneth Grant was the earlier pick, but there’s an argument to be made that Jordan Phillips was more impactful as a defensive lineman in 2025. At least Phillips was an average defender against the run, which is a nice find on day three, and helped the Dolphins have one of the best drafts in 2025.
6. Tennessee Titans
Key Players – Cam Ward, Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor
Total AV – 25
This draft was all about finding a quarterback and surrounding him with weapons. While neither Dike nor Ayomanor looks to be the number one target for the offense moving forward, they are both clearly NFL-level receivers who can provide benefits to the offense for years to come. Dike might be the best returner in football as a rookie, so that’s a nice find later in the draft.
5. Chicago Bears
Key Players – Colston Loveland, Kyle Monangai, Luther Burden III
Total AV – 25
So the Bears blueprint this offseason was pretty straightforward. Hire the best coach in the coaching carousel, check. Throw money at the offensive line to try and fix it, check. Draft playmakers all over the place and work them along slowly. Check, check, and check. We could be talking about the combination of Loveland and Burden for years to come, and they started the season on a clear pitch count to get the feel for the NFL.
4. New York Giants
Key Players – Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, Abdul Carter
Total AV – 25
Trading back into the first round for Jaxson Dart is looking like a heck of a move by the Giants. Dart, Skattebo, and Malik Nabers look to be the future of the offense – now they just need to figure out their offensive line. Despite not putting together monstrous sack numbers, Abdul Carter is a game wrecker and is an extremely aggressive pass rusher.
3. New Orleans Saints
Key Players – Tyler Shough, Kelvin Banks, Jonas Sanker
Total AV – 27
Despite Spencer Rattler’s best efforts, Shough won the job and looks to be the starter heading into 2026. If they found a franchise quarterback here, the rest of the draft doesn’t matter. But they also found a franchise tackle in Banks, and a very impressive safety in Jonas Sanker in the third round. This draft was a homerun for the Saints, but they’ll spend the next ten years flirting with the salary cap and paying for the sins of years past.
2. Cleveland Browns
Key Players – Carson Schwesinger, Mason Graham, Harold Fannin Jr.
Total AV – 31
While most of the talk will be around the Cleveland Browns quarterback situation, the rest of their draft was full of contributors. Both of their running backs complement each other well. Fannin Jr. just had the ninth-most receiving yards by a rookie tight end in history, and Schwesinger is a one-man tackling machine on defense. All eyes are on Cleveland in the 2026 NFL draft, but they had one of the best draft classes in the 2025 bunch.
1. New England Patriots
Key Players – Will Campbell, TreVeyon Henderson, Jared Wilson
14 wins don’t happen by accident. The Patriots were already set up for tremendous success with Drake Maye at quarterback, but they needed people to protect him. Will Campbell and Jared Wilson have both stepped up in that role, with Campbell’s post-draft press conference being one of the all-time great sports clips. Henderson is the 1b in the backfield with moments where he takes over the 1a role, but his ten touchdowns led all rookie running backs. Even their fourth-round rookie safety Craig Woodson made an impact this year, showcasing just how deep the best draft class of 2025 was.
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