- Carolina Panthers‘ rookie class impresses as well: Led by Tetairoa McMillan, the Panthers' rookie class should make fans optimistic about the team's future.
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Estimated Reading Time:16 minutes
Now that the regular season is in the books, we wanted to take a look at some of the 2025 rookie classes to see whose class had the most impact in Year 1.
There are plenty of ways to evaluate this, but we decided to go with ranking them by PFF WAA/WAR. It’s not perfect or all-encompassing, but it does measure volume, impact and value. We excluded quarterbacks for each team’s draft haul since they hold so much power for wins and losses that their numbers would have broken the purpose of this.
So here are the top 10 team rookie classes solely based on PFF’s WAA/WAR metric.
1. Chicago Bears: 1.0207 cumulative WAA/WAR
Tight end Colston Loveland and receiver Luther Burden were two of the top four WAA/WAR rookies in the league on the offensive side of the ball. Loveland came up just short of Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan for the top spot with a 0.52 core, while Burden earned a 0.28 mark despite his rookie season being a bit of a slow burn. Both of these rookies helped transform the Bears' offense. Offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and running back Kyle Monangai also contributed to positive WAA/WAR scores, as Monangai (0.10) earned the third-highest score of any rookie running back.
2. Carolina Panthers: 0.8704 cumulative WAA/WAR
The Panthers finished second on this list, and a big reason why is their Offensive Rookie of the Year front-runner, Tetairoa McMillan. He finished with a 0.60 WAA/WAR on the season, thanks to eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark. His 0.60 WAA score was the highest among offensive rookies outside the quarterback position. Tight end Mitchell Evans was a good addition to their heavy personnel as both a blocker and receiver.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 0.6353 cumulative WAA/WAR
The Bucs’ top-three overall score was buoyed by wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (0.25) and cornerback Jacob Parrish (0.23). Egbuka started the season off hot while the Bucs offense and Baker Mayfield were playing their best. He saw somewhat steady volume during the full course of the season due to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin‘s injuries. Fellow wide receiver Tez Johnson also added a good score to the Bucs’ total, as he was an unexpected emphasis in the offense when Tampa had a bad injury spell to its receiver corps. Parrish earned the second-highest WAA/WAR of any rookie cornerback, behind only Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Nohl Williams.
4.Tennessee Titans: 0.6136 cumulative WAA/WAR
Once again, the cumulative numbers for each team do not include quarterbacks, since their impact on wins is so strong that it would skew this discussion. However, the Titans finishing in the top five provides some well-deserved recognition to the rookies on their team not named Cam Ward. Cornerback Marcus Harris, wide receivers Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor, and tight end Gunnar Helm all earned 0.10-plus WAA scores this season. The Titans’ roster didn’t have a ton of veteran talent entrenched in starting spots, which enabled the rookies to establish themselves for the future.
5. Cleveland Browns: 0.5648 cumulative WAA/WAR
Once again, no quarterback analysis here, so Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel aren’t in this equation. Nonetheless, this was an excellent and impactful class for the Browns. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. was their top rookie, followed by Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, Carson Schwesinger. Defensive tackle Mason Graham, wide receiver Isaiah Bond, and running backs Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson and Raheim Sanders all earned positive WAA numbers for their contributions.
6. Houston Texans: 0.5370 cumulative WAA/WAR
The Texans’ WAA/WAR score from their rookie class really just comes down to three players. Wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel were both important in their passing attack, earning scores above 0.13 for their efforts and volume. Higgins’ 0.28 score ranked third, behind only McMillan and Burden. Running back Woody Marks actually recorded the highest WAA (0.13) among rookie running backs, thanks to his impact in the passing game as a receiver out of the backfield over the first half of the season in addition to his impact as the Texans’ lead back on the ground through the second half.
7. New England Patriots: 0.5082 cumulative WAA/WAR
Offensive tackle Will Campbell earned the highest WAA/WAR for the Patriots' rookie class, which makes sense since he was the Day 1 starter at least tackle (until missing a few games at the end of the season due to injury). Wide receiver Kyle Williams was next, though his low volume limited him. Running back TreVeyon Henderson and safety Craig Woodson were also standouts on this list, as Woodson played over 1,000 snaps and Henderson earned a 75.7 PFF rushing grade.
8. Buffalo Bills: 0.4781 cumulative WAA/WAR
Not first-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston; not defensive tackle Deone Walker; not even the likes of edge rusher Landon Jackson or defensive tackle T.J. Sanders; none of these names were the top-ranked player on the Bills’ list. Though Hairston and Walker both earned positive WAA numbers this season, tight end Jackson Hawes inflated the Bills’ spot into the top 10. Hawes earned a 0.26 WAA score, thanks to an 82.7 receiving grade and 74.3 run-blocking grade. Having that high of a score on 354 run-blocking snaps shows not only volume but reliability, which will always score highly.
9. New York Jets: 0.4041 cumulative WAA/WAR
Mason Taylor and Armand Membou were the Jets' standout rookies this year. Membou earned a 0.24 WAA score, second-best among all offensive linemen, behind only Dallas Cowboys guard Tyler Booker. Membou earned run- and pass-blocking grade above 72.0, and he had some of the best tape of any tackle in the class. Taylor finished just behind Garrett Wilson in total receiving yards on the team in 2025 (I won’t mention how little that number is, though).
10.Seattle Seahawks: 0.4011 cumulative WAA/WAR
It was an all-around good class for the Seahawks, who saw positive WAA/WAR scores from wide receiver Tory Horton, safety Nick Emmanwori, tight end Elijah Arroyo, guard Grey Zabel and even fullback Robbie Ouzts. Zabel struggled a bit in pass protection throughout the year, which brought his score down a bit, but he really came on strong during the last month of the season with elite run-blocking grades as a zone blocker. On defense, Emmanwori has been a game-changer for them in their secondary, playing a variety of positions and playing them well.