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NFL GM Power Rankings
General managers know better than anyone how inexact and unfair it is to rank humans. So let's turn the tables on them!This year's list attempts to evaluate each current NFL decision maker on how he built his roster for the present and future, with past accomplishments weighed to a lesser extent. Draft record, coach hiring, free agency spending, cap management, trades and even handling of the press were all taken into consideration.
1) Howie Roseman, Philadelphia Eagles
No team does a better job using every avenue for player acquisition, balancing current needs with the future. The Jalen Hurts pick in 2020 was a great example of forward thinking that changed the course of the franchise. The top three picks in last year's draft class (Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens and Nakobe Dean) mostly had what amounted to redshirt rookie seasons, but players selected in the class before (DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson) helped the team nearly win a title in 2022.
The Eagles are great at self-scouting and spend a premium on line play (Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata and Josh Sweat) while finding ways to keep their productive longtime veterans like Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham. Most importantly, Roseman has nailed bringing in players just about to hit their prime, such as A.J. Brown, Haason Reddick and Javon Hargrave (the latter of whom left for San Francisco this offseason). They recognize value, whether that means scooping up James Bradberry late last offseason or finding a way to keep him and Darius Slay this time around. Hurts' looming big contract will test Roseman's flexibility, but this is a front office that finds answers.
2) Brett Veach, Kansas City Chiefs
Veach won a title while re-tooling. He made the correct call to replace a foundational player in Tyreek Hill last offseason with a raft of inexpensive draft picks to build the next five years of Chiefs squads. 2022 first-rounders Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis impacted the team's Super Bowl-winning campaign, while running back Isiah Pacheco was a revelation as a seventh-rounder. The Chiefs also let corner Charvarius Ward walk last offseason, then got significant contributions from rookies Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams. Extracting cost-effective, excellent production out of the secondary has been part of Veach's secret sauce.
This is all made possible by Patrick Mahomes, but Veach gets credit for drafting Mahomes in 2017 in the first place. Echoing how the Patriots built a dynasty around Tom Brady, Veach hasn't been afraid to say goodbye to big names like Orlando Brown Jr., Eric Fisher, Tyrann Mathieu and Frank Clark. Veach has filled in the gaps with creative solutions, like trading for receiver Kadarius Toney last season, and forward-thinking picks, like the selection of linebacker Nick Bolton in the second round two years ago. And while Brown, again, is gone, 2021's interior offensive line overhaul (featuring free agent Joe Thuney and drafted players Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith) has aged like fine beef.
3) Duke Tobin, Cincinnati Bengals
Longtime NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots once said of Marvin Lewis that the coach “raised the Titanic” during his time in Cincinnati. That's partly why Tobin gets extra credit for building two different Bengals eras with top-shelf rosters. Having Joe Burrow instead of Andy Dalton atop the quarterback depth chart should help the latest iteration last. The team has a strong recent record with targeted free-agent strikes (Chidobe Awuzie, D.J. Reader), and it was smart not to overspend when some of their own players like Hayden Hurst and Vonn Bell got paid too much elsewhere. Tobin used that extra money to find value with tackle Orlando Brown Jr. at the top of the market and safety Nick Scott and tight end Irv Smith Jr. as worthwhile low-cost gambles. Cincinnati's offensive line overhaul last offseason mostly worked, but I love that Tobin didn't stand pat. There is strong cohesion between Tobin and Zac Taylor's coaching staff, which develops rookies like cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt before giving them playing time.
Burrow claimed back in January that the Bengals' Super Bowl window is "my whole career." Tobin is the right man to prove his quarterback correct.
4) Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills
I don't put the Bills' inability to get over the hump on the front office. Rather, I blame it on randomness (2020 and '21) and injuries (2022). That said, the team might need to revisit the relative lack of weight that is put into offensive resources compared with McDermott's defense. A solid D can only take you so far in this era, and the team's shortcomings on the offensive line and skill positions around Josh Allen showed up in 2022.
Beane made some low-cost moves in free agency (Damien Harris, Deonte Harty, Connor McGovern) that look smart enough on paper -- they are also similar to moves from 2022 that didn't work out well. His drafts have been less inspiring over the last four years, with 2021 first-rounder Greg Rousseau being the biggest difference-maker among them. The Bills have built and maintained a superpower over the last six years since Beane was hired, but their best work was done in the building stages. Can they do it again with different players around Allen?
5) John Lynch/Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
Former Patriots decision maker Scott Pioli used to keep a framed photo on his desk of 2000 fifth-round tight end Dave Stachelski, taken one round ahead of Tom Brady, as a reminder that the front office wasn't that smart. That's why I hesitate to give too much credit to Lynch and Shanahan for finding seventh-round gem Brock Purdy, who helped lead the team to the playoffs as a rookie quarterback last season -- although there's no denying that Shanahan understands what works in his system.
The 49ers deserve more credit for finding and maintaining so much talent everywhere else that they've thrived despite all the resources used (including first-round picks in 2022 and '23) in the 2021 trade up to draft Trey Lance, who has attempted 102 passes since. Lynch has helped find core pieces through the draft (receiver Brandon Aiyuk, safety Talanoa Hufanga), free agency (corner Charvarius Ward, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave) and trades (running back Christian McCaffrey, left tackle Trent Williams). The Niners build strength on strength and stay focused on line play, like the Eagles. That said, the offensive line could use some work in the draft.
6) Les Snead/Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
The problem isn't that the Rams went all in. It's that they immediately erased their flexibility after the title by signing their three biggest stars to extensions. A lot of their 2022 struggles came down to injury luck, but don't forget they were outclassed when still healthy in Week 1 and never looked right. The offensive line was a high-wire act that collapsed without Andrew Whitworth.
Reporting around the Rams' pivot to Allen Robinson after losing Von Miller in free agency last offseason suggests that McVay drove that decision and that, at least last season, his emotions could get in his way. Snead has done mostly well with the picks he has (Tutu Atwell being an exception), but the lack of draft choices and inactivity in free agency this offseason has led to a barren defensive roster. Considering the five-year run of success before this step back, Snead and McVay should still be ranked higher than general managers with little success beyond pretty offseason rosters to their names.
7) Brad Holmes, Detroit Lions
General managers sometimes peak in popularity a few years into a major rebuild. The hard part is keeping it going like Brandon Beane in Buffalo, rather than peaking too early like Steve Keim in Arizona, Dave Gettleman in Carolina or Ryan Pace in Chicago. (All Executives of the Year!) Holmes has done virtually no wrong since arriving. He preceded Dan Campbell by a week and pivoted from the Matthew Stafford era with a home run trade that helped quickly build a roster spawning the most unbridled Lions enthusiasm in memory.
Getting to use the Rams' No. 6 overall draft pick feels like a pivot point, the chance to go from fun story to real contender. After two top-shelf drafts and a smart free agency haul that focused on improving the secondary, Holmes has more than earned the benefit of the ever-present doubt in Detroit.
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