New metrics are introduced every day in football to aid analytics in its mission to find tangible data. Pro Football Focus is at the forefront of inventing those metrics. One they’re using to assess the 2025 NFL draft is “WAA,” or Wins Above Average.
“WAA combines a player’s PFF grades across various facets of play with the relative value of each facet to winning football games,” PFF explains. “The result is a first-of-its-kind metric that enables cross-positional comparisons and offers predictive insight into a player’s future value.”
Using this new metric, the Seattle Seahawks‘ 2025 NFL draft class ranked 13th out of 32 in WAA. Unsurprisingly, first-round pick Grey Zabel topped the Seahawks’ in this metric. PFF predicts that Zabel’s three-year future projection grade to be an 88.2, an elite score.
Second-round selection Nick Emmanwori also projects favorably, with a three-year grade of 83.0. Fifth-round wide receiver Tory Horton is projected to develop into a steal, with a score of 90.3, and running back Damien Martinez lands a 93.4.
Perhaps most notably, third-round quarterback Jalen Milroe scores an 88.9. If that comes true, the Seahawks will have their future franchise quarterback and an appropriate successor to Sam Darnold. That would be a desirable outcome for John Schneider and Mike Macdonald.