NEW ORLEANS — Apparently, acquiring Andrew Luck with the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick was more impressive than recruiting Peyton Manning from free agency.

John Elway was not named the NFL’s executive of the year in a Sporting News poll of league executives. He finished second — by one vote — to Indianapolis Colts’ general manager Ryan Grigson.

The voting totals from NFL executives:

Ryan Grigson, Colts, 9

John Elway, Broncos, 8

John Schneider, Seahawks, 3

Bruce Allen, Redskins, 2

Rick Smith, Texans, 2

Elway took charge of a Broncos’ team that was 4-12 in 2010 and built them into an AFC West champion in his first season of 2011, albeit with an 8-8 record.

When Manning, a superstar quarterback coming off four neck surgeries, was released to free agency by the Colts, Elway and the Broncos went to work.

Outrecruiting at least eight other teams, the Broncos signed Manning to a five-year, $96 million contract, then traded incumbent quarterback Tim Tebow to the New York Jets in return for two draft picks.

The Broncos went 13-3 this season to capture the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, but the Colts had a more significant turnaround. With Manning sidelined in 2011, the Colts finished with the NFL’s worst record at 2-14. After that season, the Colts not only released Manning but fired general manager Bill Polian and head coach Jim Caldwell.

It was a great year to be bad, though, for it gave the Colts the No. 1 overall draft pick at a time when Luck was entering the draft. Luck, from Stanford, was considered the best quarterback prospect to enter the draft since Manning in 1998.

Luck led the Colts to an 11-5 record, good enough for an AFC wild-card playoff spot. The Colts, like the Broncos, lost in the playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens, who with Caldwell as their offensive coordinator are here preparing to play in Super Bowl XLVII.