- The 2023 class sweeps offensive and defensive metrics: Led by record-breaking campaigns from Puka Nacua and Will Anderson Jr., the 2023 draft class earned a clean sweep as the highest-graded group in receiving, pass rushing, and rushing.
- Sophomore slump hits 2024 offensive skill players: The 2024 class became the first sophomore group in PFF history to finish without a single player reaching 1,000 rushing or receiving yards, heavily underperforming outside of the quarterback position.
- Ageless linebackers defy traditional career longevity: Headlined by Bobby Wagner, Lavonte David, and Demario Davis, the 14th-year 2012 linebacker class earned the league's highest collective grade at the position, highlighted by a dominant 90.7 PFF run-defense grade.
It can be fascinating to examine how each draft class performs season by season.
While the sheer number of players entering the league each year would suggest most classes should eventually balance out statistically, meaningful differences continue to emerge in both usage and production. This article examines how every active draft class performed in 2025 as passers, rushers, receivers, pass rushers and coverage defenders.
The clearest place to begin is overall usage. The 2024 draft class accumulated the most snaps from scrimmage last season, totaling 59,716. The 2022 class — made up primarily of players entering the final year of their rookie contracts — was not far behind at 58,366 snaps.
It is natural for players on rookie contracts to dominate total playing time across the league. Many players from older draft classes are no longer on active rosters, reflected in the steadily declining snap totals from classes drafted in the late 2010s.
Perhaps the most notable takeaway is that, for the first time this decade, a draft class at least five years removed from draft night outpaced the current rookie class in total snaps from scrimmage. The 2020 class, whose members are now largely on second or third contracts, logged more snaps than the players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Below is a position-by-position breakdown.
Passing Production
- Highest-graded class: 2009 (91.7)
- Most total passing yards: 2024 (20,638)
- Most passing touchdowns: 2024 (133)
Reigning MVP Matthew Stafford is holding firm as the only active NFL player left from the 2009 draft class. The 2009 quarterback crop never finished a season as the highest-graded class in the NFL, but after 17 years, they have truly snatched one at the buzzer.
Of course, it would be unfair to suggest one quarterback outweighs the performance of several others from recent years. The 2024 class won out in terms of volume, thanks to the emergence of sophomore quarterbacks Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, and Bo Nix.
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