With the end of the NFL regular season at hand, we’ll start voting on the Best Draft Award next weekend. That means that the next Friday Wrap will list the five finalists. We’ll also send out ballots to NFL scouts so we can begin voting. The problem this year is picking the five finalists.

I’ve read in some places that the 2025 draft class didn’t yield the normal crop of talent, but I disagree sharply. Look at all the teams, listed alphabetically, who got big-time contributions from their rookies.

Bears: If you think a turnaround on the field is the biggest consideration when choosing the best draft class, Chicago — which was 5-12 last year and won the division this year — is probably your choice. Their title probably doesn’t happen without the contributions of first-round TE Colston Loveland, second-round WO Luther Burden and seventh-round OH Kyle Monangai.

Browns: If you believe sheer volume of contributing players defines draft excellence, you gotta go with Cleveland. From first-round DT Mason Graham on down, you could argue that the team got at least some output from seven players: IB Carson Schwesinger, OH Quinshon Judkins, TE Harold Fannin, OH Dylan Sampson and QBs Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. They even got good play from a UDFA, DT Adin Huntington. It wasn’t a great season for the Browns, but they are set up with an excellent foundation for the future.

Bucs: Tampa Bay already won a Best Draft Award for the team’s work in 2020, but maybe they need to clear the trophy case again. In fact, if WO Emeka Egbuka had finished the season the way he started it, they might even be the favorite. Not only did they hit on Egbuka, but they also struck gold on Day 2 with a nickel corner (Jacob Parrish) and on Day 3 with a defensive tackle (Elijah Roberts). There’s a lot to be said for a defending division winner that finds three major contributors in one draft.

Cardinals: Like the Browns, it wasn’t a great season for the Cardinals, but they had a lot of depth in their draft class. Like the Bucs, if first-round DT Walter Nolen was healthy all season, the Cards would have an even stronger case. As it is, the team seems to have reinvigorated itself at cornerback (Will Johnson and Denzel Burke) and defensive end (Jordan Burch).

Chargers: Once again, this is a good team that still got big-time reps from rookies. The record is almost unchanged — last year, the team’s record was 11-6, and they’re 11-5 entering the finale with the Broncos — but you have to like LA’s future after first-round OH Omarion Hampton made an impact along with third-round DT Jamaree Caldwell and two Day3 picks, TE Oronde Gadsden II and FS RJ Mickens.

Falcons: It’s not the depth of the class as much as the value they got at key positions. Nailing the picks on two first-round pass rushers — OB Jalon Walker and DE James Pearce — counts for a lot. Throw in third-round FS Xavier Watts, who has five picks, and you’ve got a really good draft class.

Giants: If the vote were held at midseason — before OH Cam Skattebo (4/105) went down, and while QB Jaxson Dart was making plays with his feet and his arm — the Giants would probably have won. Throw in DE Abdul Carter and the Giants got the most out of their two first-rounders plus a rock-solid running back on Day 3. That’s impressive. People take for granted that Day 1 picks are going to step right in and start, but that’s certainly not the case.

Panthers: Carolina was 5-12 last season, but plays for the division title Sunday. That’s a massive turnaround, and it doesn’t happen without first-round WO Tetairoa McMillan, along with a second round DE (Nic Scourton) and two Day 3 hits (FS Lathan Ransom and TE Mitchell Evans). A month ago, ESPN called the Panthers’ draft class the best.

Saints: New Orleans is also a repeat winner (the Saints won it in 2017 for the Lattimore/Kamara/Hendrickson, etc., class) and might have a shot at being the first ever to repeat. Second-round QB Tyler Shough may win the OROY, and he’s deservedly gotten the headlines, but New Orleans also smashed it with first-round left tackle Kelvin Banks and three Day 3 picks (FS Jonas Sanker, IB Danny Stutsman and DC Quincy Riley). Even sixth-round OH Devin Neal looked good before a season-ending injury.

Titans: Bet you don’t know who holds the NFL rookie record for most all-purpose yards in a single season (2,371 yards). It’s Titans fourth-round WO/KR Chimere Dike, who beat Tim Brown’s 1988 mark. Oh, by the way, the team also took a QB who’s looked better every game over the second half of the season in Cam Ward, and Day 3 DC Marcus Harris has also won praise.