Who is the best drafting general manager in football?
With all the data available on the current crop, there's probably a way to make an educated guess, right? Naturally, sample size will keep some of the newer general managers down, but not when the bar is set at how many of their picks make the All-Rookie Team.
That is the data NFL Media Research has provided us today, ranking the number of draft picks that made the all-rookie team per general manager, and the total percentage of that GM's picks that have made the All-Rookie Team.
Now, a few quick observations:
» Seahawks GM John Schneider is low on the list because so many of his star players like Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman were low-round draft picks and therefore didn't get the early notoriety. Plus, some of his rookies don't play right away. I think we can all rest assured that he's high up on anyone's top GM list.
» Our largest sample sizes are Mike Brown with the Bengals and Jerry Jones with the Dallas Cowboys. In all, not that bad. One in every 10 draft picks Brown made since 1991 made the All-Rookie Team. For Jones, his number, 12.12 percent, is even better. It will be fascinating to see where certain evaluators like Jerry Reese and Rick Smith -- both hired in the mid-2000s -- could do with that kind of sample size.
» Steelers GM Kevin Colbert hits at only a 6.56 percent rate, but just look at his first-round picks from 2000 to 2010: Plaxico Burress, Casey Hampton, Kendall Simmons, Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, Heath Miller, Santonio Holmes, Lawrence Timmons, Rashard Mendenhall, Ziggy Hood and Maurkice Pouncey. I'm not sure anyone would have a problem with that.
» That being said, Bill Belichick has had the same amount of time in charge, and hits at nearly 10 percent. His first-round picks in that time: Richard Seymour, Daniel Graham, Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Logan Mankins, Laurence Maroney, Brandon Meriweather, Jerod Mayo and Devin McCourty. While arguably a little less inspiring, his ability in the later rounds is what placed him higher on the list.
» Jags GM Dave Caldwell is only two years in, but there's no doubt he'll need to hit on one this year. Three years without an All-Rookie selection is unheard of for gainfully employed GMs.
» Carolina has to be excited about the future. Dave Gettleman, a long-time disciple of Ernie Accorsi -- who built two Super Bowl teams of his own -- has had a strong first two drafts highlighted by the talented Kelvin Benjamin. Can he build a team around Cam Newton?
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