Across the NFL, General Managers are trying to build their best possible team. Let’s rank the 32 General Managers after the 2022 NFL Draft.
The responsibility that comes with being a General Manager in the NFL is massive. The NFL is perhaps the most popular and successful entity in all of human history, so it’s understandable why being a GM in the NFL can be such a tough job.
As fans know, the league has both elite General Managers who have been able to build Super Bowl-caliber teams, and below-average General Managers, who have struggled to put a consistent product on the field.
In almost all cases, these 32 men are getting the final say in roster decisions. These decisions can make or break a tenure.
There are typically a few General Manager openings each year in the NFL. Head coaching openings are more frequent, as GMs seem to get a bigger leash and have usually hired said head coaches.
Ranking the 32 GMs is no easy task. There are so many who deserve to be at the top of the list. Some of these men are rather new to the job, while others have been in the GM seat for years and years.
NFL GMs are also tasked with solving the most difficult problem in sports today–finding a franchise quarterback. Teams without a top signal-caller are often left in no man’s land, trying to claw their way to relevance, only to be held back by average or below-average quarterback play.
So, let’s rank the 32 General Managers in the NFL.
Ranking the 32 NFL General Managers — 32-29
32. Ryan Poles, Chicago Bears
This is Poles’ first season as the GM of the Chicago Bears, and he’s being tasked with seeing if Justin Fields is legit, and trying to put a competitive team around him.
This is clearly a multi-year project, but Poles’ first season has been a bit of a letdown. His free agency additions included signing mostly backup-caliber guys, followed by a draft where he over-drafted a soon-to-be 25-year-old receiver and didn’t draft any offensive linemen until his final picks.
Ryan Poles will surely get better at his job, but this first season for him has been rough.
31. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Minnesota Vikings
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is an uber-smart analytics guy who is in his first year as the GM of the Vikings.
He’s inherited an interesting situation, mostly because of Kirk Cousins. It’s clear that the Vikings haven’t been super successful with Cousins, but they also haven’t not been successful because of him.
Adofo-Mensah had a solid free agency period and respectable draft, and the Vikings appear to be in a better place than they were last offseason.
30. Joe Schoen, New York Giants
The understudy of Brandon Beane, Joe Schoen is tasked with bringing the New York Football Giants back to relevancy.
His first offseason has been rather solid, shoring up the offensive line, signing a nice insurance policy for Daniel Jones, hiring Brian Daboll, and getting insane value in the draft with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal.
Schoen absolutely wreaks of Brandon Beane-lite, and I think Schoen will be much higher on this list next year.
29. Dave Ziegler, Las Vegas Raiders
Ziegler is a former Patriots executive who is in his first year as the Raiders’ General Manager.
The Raiders have been very active in free agency, re-signing Derek Carr, signing Chandler Jones to boost their pass rush, and swinging a trade for Davante Adams, reuniting Carr with his former college teammate.
They’ve also added Josh McDaniels as head coach.
Of all the first-year General Managers, Ziegler has had the most success thus far.
Ranking the 32 General Managers — 28-25
28. Nick Caserio, Houston Texans
Nick Caserio is in his second year as the Texans’ General Manager. He had an incredibly difficult situation with the Deshaun Watson saga, but managed to trade him to the Browns and acquired a ton of picks in the process.
The Davis Mills draft pick appears to be solid, and they added both Derek Stingley and Kenyon Green in the NFL draft.
Caserio appears to be building something in Houston, but the success is still a couple of years away.
27. Trent Baalke, Jacksonville Jaguars
Baalke served as the Interim General Manager in 2020 before being promoted to GM in 2021.
Baalke seems to not be a huge favorite of the Jaguars’ fan base, but he has drafted some solid players, including Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, a potential long-term tackle in Walker Little, and other solid players like Devin Lloyd and Chad Muma.
He’s also been very active in free agency, signing players like Christian Kirk and Brandon Scherff.
I think it’s a safe bet to peg the Jaguars as an improved team in 2021, but the on-field success still isn’t there for Baalke.
26. Terry Fontenot, Atlanta Falcons
Fontenot took over before the 2021 NFL Draft and now appears to be officially embracing a rebuild.
Only getting a third-rounder for Matt Ryan is rather inexcusable, but he’s got two great players he drafted in Kyle Pitts and Drake London.
He also just about stole Desmond Ridder in the third round. It’s still a few years before the Falcons will be legit again, so Fontenot’s ranking isn’t going to be high.
25. Brad Holmes, Detroit Lions
Brad Holmes took over the Lions’ GM vacancy in 2021, trading Matthew Stafford to the Rams, and also drafting players like Penei Sewell and Aidan Hutchinson.
Holmes has also made solid decisions like signing DJ Chark, drafting Amon-Ra St. Brown, and hiring Dan Campbell, who appears to be an up-and-coming coach.
I think for the first time in a while, there’s a clear direction and culture being assembled in Detroit.
Ranking the 32 General Managers — 24-21
24. Scott Fitterer, Carolina Panthers
Scott Fitterer took over in 2021. He started off a bit rocky with the Sam Darnold trade but has put together a decent offseason in year two. His free agency class included re-signing some of his own players like Donte Jackson while investing in the offensive line with additions of Bradley Bozeman and Austin Corbett.
He also managed to snag Ikem Ekwonu in the NFL draft and stole Matt Corral in the third round.
The Panthers have a solid team. Quarterback is obviously an issue, but I’d expect Carolina to be a stronger team in 2022.
23. Martin Mayhew, Washington Commanders
Martin Mayhew comes in at 23 on this list. He is in his second year as General Manager and has brought in some decent talent for Washington.
Mayhew’s first draft pick was Sam Cosmi, who looks right at home at right tackle. He’s also traded for Carson Wentz, who I am higher on than most, managed to steal Sam Howell in the fifth round, and kept some of his own players.
The Commanders’ roster is rather strong. They are my darkhorse team for 2022. I think Wentz, coupled with that nasty front seven on defense can lead them to 10 wins and the division title.
22. Chris Grier, Miami Dolphins
Chris Grier has been the GM since 2016, so I think it’s fair to rank him lower. The last few seasons have seen a bit more success from Miami, and Grier put together a very strong offseason this year, which was highlighted by trading for Tyreek Hill, and signing both Terron Armstead and Connor Williams to boost the offensive line.
This is a big year for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and Grier himself. If Tua can take a leap forward under Mike McDaniel, then Miami might have something here and Grier could skyrocket on this list.
21. Joe Douglas, New York Jets
I love Joe Douglas, but he hasn’t been able to field a successful team since taking over in 2019. The thing that might break his tenure is Zach Wilson. If Wilson is a bust, Douglas might be out in the next couple of years.
He’s put together a few solid drafts coupled with decent free agency periods, but the on-field success isn’t there.
His haul in 2022 was solid, but if Wilson doesn’t take a step forward in a Shanahan offense, Douglas might be scrambling to find a solution to save his job.
For now, it’s only fair to put him lower.
Ranking the 32 General Managers — 20-17
20. John Schneider, Seattle Seahawks
I don’t think Schneider should be thought of as a great GM anymore. His various free agency and drafting habits through the years essentially forced him to trade Russell Wilson.
Seattle has been a top-heavy team for years–Wilson has always been the main reason for success. Schneider has never really been able to draft core players that have made a meaningful difference for the club.
Their 10-year stint was amazing, but it was grossly Wilson-driven and there were a lot of questionable decisions from Schneider during that time.
19. Steve Keim, Arizona Cardinals
Keim has been the GM since 2013, and his teams have a combined winning record since then.
He’s a solid GM, perhaps saving his job when he dumped Steve Wilks and Josh Rosen for Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray.
He’s had decent acquisitions here and there, most recently trading for Hollywood Brown and DeAndre Hopkins.
I’m not sure Kliff Kingsbury is the right coach for them, but there are plenty of teams in much worse situations than the Cardinals.
18. Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones seems to always have really good players on his roster, but his teams of late haven’t been able to put it all together.
The Cowboys have had some really solid draft picks recently, including Dak Prescott, Zeke Elliott, CeeDee Lamb, DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons, Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, among a few others.
No one has questioned the talent of the Cowboys, although they never are able to get out of their own way. It’s an interesting situation.
17. Chris Ballard, Indianapolis Colts
Some may disagree with me putting Ballard so low, but I’m not a huge fan of what he’s done.
Since taking over in 2017, Ballard’s Colts are 41-40 in the regular season, with two losing seasons.
He hasn’t been able to find a solution at quarterback, as the Colts are starting a different face at quarterback yet again this year.
He’s had some decent drafts, but he’s always remained a bit gun-shy in free agency, not wanting to spend money.
I think that’s a slight issue. The Colts don’t have great depth and haven’t been able to do much of note since he’s taken over.
Ranking the 32 General Managers — 16-13
16. Andrew Berry, Cleveland Browns
Many aren’t huge fans of Andrew Berry after he traded for Deshaun Watson, but Berry has largely done a nice job as GM besides that move.
His first draft netted him decent players like Jedrick Wills, Harrison Bryant, and Donovan Peoples-Jones.
His second draft was perhaps better, selecting players like Greg Newsome and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
However, I believe that the bulk of this team is due to the players that former General Manager John Dorsey drafted and signed.
Oftentimes, prior General Managers and their various decisions still have positive effects on a team when a new regime takes shape.
This is the case for Berry and the Browns.
15. John Lynch, San Francisco 49ers
The 15th best GM in the league in my opinion is John Lynch of the 49ers.
He took over as GM in 2017, and in those five seasons, the 49ers have two winning records and two playoff appearances.
It hasn’t been a wildly successful tenure, but perhaps mostly because of coaching, San Fran remains a viable team.
They’ve been severely hampered by injuries in what seems like every year, but there have been a bunch more successful teams since 2017 than the 49ers.
14. Jon Robinson, Tennessee Titans
Jon Robinson has been an OK General Manager since taking over in 2016.
He’s gone 59-38 in six seasons, which is a very nice record, but Tennessee hasn’t had the best of success in the playoffs during his tenure.
I’d also argue that Robinson could have been out of a job after the 2019 season had the Titans not made the switch from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill.
The Titans aren’t the best team on paper, and I think the high they were riding with Tannehill has died down a bit. The Malik Willis selection might prove to be a steal, though.
13. Duke Tobin, Cincinnati Bengals
It isn’t too clear how long Tobin has been the de facto GM of the Bengals, but what is clear is the talent that this team has.
Recent draft picks of Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Ja’Marr Chase, and key signings like Mike Hilton and Trey Hendrickson have proven to be very, very good decisions from the Bengals.
Obviously, Tobin can be ranked much higher if the Bengals can keep their 2021 success going.
For now, though, he’s easily in the top half of General Managers in the league.
Ranking the 32 General Managers — 12-9
12. Howie Roseman, Philadelphia Eagles
Howie Roseman is one sneaky guy, isn’t he? It always seems like he’ll occasionally make a killer deal, sign a great player or something in between.
When all seems lost, Roseman redeems himself. The Nick Sirianni hire seemed off, but all of the sudden, the Eagles go 9-8, clinch a playoff spot, and add AJ Brown, Haason Reddick, Jordan Davis, and Nakobe Dean to their team.
Roseman is a Super Bowl-winning GM, and the Eagles are poised to be more competitive in 2022.
11. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
The Patriots have been good for forever…. mainly because of Tom Brady.
However, even with Brady’s departure, the Patriots are still set to be a playoff team in 2022.
They were hyperactive in free agency in 2021, signing players like Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Jalen Mills, and Matt Judon.
They also added Mac Jones, which appears to be the right pick. They didn’t have the best offseason this year, and their continual subpar drafting perhaps forced them to be active in last year’s free agency period.
Still, though, the Patriots are one of the most successful franchises in the history of sports, and Belichick is a huge reason for that.
10. Tom Telesco, Los Angeles Chargers
Telesco has served as the General Manager since 2013. The Chargers have developed this reputation of seemingly always snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
He was able to inherit a nice situation with Philip Rivers, but his four losing records in nine seasons aren’t exactly impressive.
His teams are 69-76 since taking over, but the last two seasons have shown an improvement, mainly due to the drafting of Justin Herbert.
Telesco has also been ultra-active in other ways this year and last, trading for Khalil Mack, signing Bryce Callahan, drafting a stud in Rashawn Slater, and giving Mike Williams an extension.
Telesco was probably sitting on thin ice before drafting Herbert, but it appears now he’s got a firm base under him.
9. George Paton, Denver Broncos
At the risk of making my fandom obvious, I put George Paton at number nine on this list.
While only in his second year, Paton has left a clear mark on the Denver Broncos.
His first year was mostly positive, and while he would probably have not traded for Teddy Bridgewater if he could have a do-over, his draft was stellar.
Patrick Surtain II and Javonte Williams look like stars in the making, and Baron Browning and Quinn Meinerz both look like solid starters in the NFL.
Good General Managers are able to work within the draft and free agency, and this year was a bigger emphasis on free agency, trading for Russell Wilson, signing Billy Turner, Tom Compton, Randy Gregory, and D.J. Jones.
Denver is 7-10 under George Paton, but expect them to flip that record and add another win or two next year.
Ranking the 32 General Managers — 8-5
8. Eric DeCosta, Baltimore Ravens
EDC, as some in Baltimore call him, took over as the GM in 2019. The Ravens are seemingly always a good team, and DeCosta is a big reason for that.
He managed to get a first-round pick for Hollywood Brown, and had an absolute stellar draft, taking guys like Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, and Daniel Faalele.
He’s also made smart but not splashy free agency decisions in Morgan Moses and Michael Pierce.
The Ravens are set to field a much improved offensive line, which was, along with their entire team, ravaged by injuries in 2022.
EDC is setting himself up for long-term success with Lamar Jackson. The next step for him is to get Jackson a contract extension.
7. Jason Licht, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jason Licht isn’t high on this list just because he managed to sign Tom Brady a couple of years ago, it’s because of the reason why Brady signed with Tampa.
The 2019 Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ roster was loaded, so much so that they won the Super Bowl in 2020 in the first year with Brady under center.
Licht’s draft picks and free agency signings over the past ~5 years have been stellar, and he managed to yet again keep the gang together as Brady unretired.
6. Kevin Colbert, Pittsburgh Steelers
Colbert is retiring, but the Steelers have not filled their vacant GM position yet.
He went out with a bang, drafting Kenny Pickett at 20th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
What separates good from great General Managers is their ability to field a good team, year after year.
Colbert did just that during his tenure, constantly infusing talent into the Steelers.
It’s unlikely the Steelers will be able to replace Colbert with someone of his caliber, but they’re sure hoping to.
5. Mickey Loomis, New Orleans Saints
How Loomis managed to navigate around the Saints’ impossible salary cap situation the last couple of years is amazing.
He managed to do it, and the Saints managed to be in the playoff hunt until the final week.
They had a great free agency period, even with losing Terron Armstead, they were able to sign Marcus Maye and Tyrann Mathieu. Their defensive front is solid, and the re-signing of Jameis Winston while not drafting a quarterback makes me think they are buying into him.
Winston playing well this year would be an absolute steal for the Saints, who signed him for pennies a few years ago. Loomis and the Saints always seem to be a good team.
Ranking the 32 General Managers — 4-1
4. Brett Veach, Kansas City Chiefs
I don’t think I need to go into detail about why Veach is high on this list. What he’s done in KC has been masterful.
I think some of his best work came last offseason, when he overhauled the Chiefs’ offensive line, signing Joe Thuney and Kyle Long, drafting Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, and trading for Orland Brown.
Exhausting every avenue to improve the team is what good General Managers do. Losing Tyreek Hill hurt, but they got a haul back for him and have made great strides in trying to replace him on the roster. Expect the Chiefs to remain good, like always, in 2022.
3. Brian Gutekunst, Green Bay Packers
Gutekunst has been on the job since 2018 and has had a killer tenure thus far. The Matt LaFleur hire was excellent, and his free agent signings have been solid, which include Rasul Douglas and DeVondre Campbell.
He probably could have gotten more for Davante Adams, but Gutey managed to finish this offseason with another great roster, keeping Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.
2. Brandon Beane, Buffalo Bills
Beane has done an excellent job since being hired in 2017. He managed put the right coaches on the team to develop Josh Allen, and have drafted players like Allen, Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano, and have made some flat-out excellent free agency decisions and trades.
The Bills were very active in free agency this year, signing guys like Von Miller, Roger Saffold, and Jamison Crowder.
The Bills just might have the best roster in the NFL, and Beane is the biggest reason for that.
1. Les Snead, Los Angeles Rams.
Les Snead is a stone-cold killer. The hiring of Sean McVay might be the single best decision any team has made in the last decade. Moving off of Jared Goff in a tough financial situation was beautiful.
Trading for Jalen Ramsey years ago, trading for Von Miller in 2021, hitting on mid and late-round draft picks and signing Allen Robinson and Bobby Wagner all prove that Snead is the best in the business.
His “F them picks” mentality has rewarded him with a Super Bowl title, and I would expect the Rams to be close to that game again this year.