The new collective bargaining agreement in 2011 put more pressure on general managers to succeed in the draft. The NFL chopped the salaries of draft choices with hopes of spreading the wealth to the veterans. But with the salary cap going up more and more each year and rookie contracts expiring after four years, the price of getting players to second contracts has skyrocketed.

This has put pressure on GMs to get two or three starters out of each draft. If that doesn't happen, the talent level drops and eventually teams have to use free agency to find starters, which could lead to mixed results.

Entering the 2016 NFL draft, several executives are on the hot seat. They need results -- now. Here are the 10 decision-makers facing the most pressure next week, starting with the GM who just traded up for the No. 1 overall pick:

1. Les Snead, Los Angeles Rams

Snead pulled off a blockbuster trade, jumping from the 15th pick to No. 1. Now he can pick his franchise quarterback: Jared Goff or Carson Wentz. But the pressure is on Snead and the Rams to make the right choice. Wentz is the bigger quarterback with better running skills. Goff has Matt Ryan-like qualities. Snead was creative enough to offer enough draft choices to make the deal, but now he needs to be more creative to surround his quarterback with talent. The Rams are thin at wide receiver and cut tight end Jared Cook. Snead has to decide by May 2 whether to put the fifth-year option on wide receiver Tavon Austin. The Rams have no picks in the second or third rounds, and they don't have a first- or third-round pick in 2017. Snead might not make it to 2017 if he misses with the top pick.

2. Sashi Brown, Cleveland Browns

The analytics class has officially started. Brown, Cleveland's new executive VP of football operations, traded away the second pick, meaning the team is banking its short-term quarterback future on Robert Griffin III or Josh McCown instead of Goff or Wentz. But he has put everything in how the analytics will work to rebuild a roster that severely lacks talent. Brown put more pressure on himself after losing wide receiver Travis Benjamin, center Alex Mack, safety Tashaun Gipson and offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz to free agency and cutting safety Donte Whitner and linebacker Karlos Dansby. The Browns have 12 draft choices this year and just as many holes on their roster. They also added an extra first-round pick next year and an extra second-round pick in 2018. The pressure is now on Brown to get enough good starters to change the fortunes of this team. He needs to get it right in four years. Why within four years? There is now only a 25 percent chance of getting second-round picks to second contracts and about 20 percent for third-rounders.

3. Jerry Reese, New York Giants

Owner John Mara told everyone that there is extra pressure to be successful in this draft. After forcing out Tom Coughlin as head coach, Mara pointed to the roster as being part of the problem of the Giants' recent lack of success. Plus, quarterback Eli Manning isn't getting any younger, and the Giants need to start winning. Mara gave Reese the freedom to spend more than $200 million in contracts in free agency. They've helped the defense, adding defensive end Olivier Vernon, defensive tackle Damon Harrison and cornerback Janoris Jenkins, among others. But Reese needs to have a solid defensive draft to build up the talent base.

4. Thomas Dimitroff, Atlanta Falcons

Owner Arthur Blanks said he'd be disappointed if the Falcons don't find three starters out of this draft. Problem is, the Falcons have only five draft picks. The Falcons are among eight teams that don't have any picks on their roster left over from the 2012 draft. As everyone knows, championship teams are best built through the draft, not free agency. The Falcons have drafted well for the past couple of years, but the Carolina Panthers have moved ahead of the Falcons in the NFC South. It's time to catch up, and Dimitroff needs a solid draft.

5. David Caldwell, Jacksonville Jaguars

Caldwell signed a five-year deal in 2013 with a patient owner who understood that it was going to take time to rebuild the roster. But Caldwell needs a good defensive draft to make sure his coach, Gus Bradley, isn't on the hot seat. Over the past two years, Caldwell has done a great job rebuilding the offense. He hit on quarterback Blake Bortles and wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, among a few others. But it's time to chop at least three points per game allowed off a defense that surrendered more than 25 a game over the past two years.

6. Jason Licht, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Licht is five-for-five in the first two rounds of the past two drafts. He has hit on a quarterback, a wide receiver, a left tackle, a guard and a tight end. He made the steal of the draft getting Kwon Alexander in the fourth round last year. But the defense wasn't good enough so coach Lovie Smith lost his job after just two seasons. Licht needs a pass-rusher and a cornerback in the early rounds. He made a smart move in case that doesn't happen, signing defensive end Robert Ayers and cornerback Brent Grimes in free agency. Still, the pressure is on him to add good, young defensive players and get new coach Dirk Koetter some more talent.

7. Tom Telesco, San Diego Chargers

A good drafting record earned Telesco a contract extension, but he needs a solid draft to give his coach, Mike McCoy, some job security. The Rams' trade to the top helped San Diego, which owns the No. 3 pick. The Chargers should get the best position player in the draft if two quarterbacks go up top. The pressure is on Telesco to get players in this draft who can help the Chargers get back to their winning ways.

8. Jon Robinson, Tennessee Titans

Before making his first selection as a GM, Robinson is already the leading candidate for executive of the year. He picked up running back DeMarco Murray in a swap of fourth-round choices. The trade with the Rams gives him six picks in the top 76 this year and five choices in the first three rounds next year. What Robinson has to do next is hit on this year's picks so the Titans can improve the talent on their roster. He does, however, have the ammunition to trade back into the top 10 and get a player there. If he doesn't trade, a best-case scenario would be grabbing three starters in the second round.

9. Mike Maccagnan, New York Jets

His quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, is unsigned. The Jets are tight against the salary cap. The roster is talented, but it is filled with older starters and they lack speed. Since taking over as GM, Maccagnan has been great in making deals to acquire quality players. The Brandon Marshall deal last year was a steal. Maccagnan picked up left tackle Ryan Clady in a bargain move. But quarterback is the most important position on the team. Can he get Fitzpatrick at the right number or does he have to trade defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson to move up in the draft to get a quarterback?

10. John Elway, Denver Broncos

Last year, Elway assembled one of the most talented defenses in NFL history. It again has enough depth to be good, despite the loss of defensive lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Danny Trevathan. But Elway has to resolve the quarterback issue. His first move was to trade for Mark Sanchez, but his next decision is the most important. With the Colin Kaepernick trade all but dead, Elway needs to figure out who ultimately will be the signal-caller in 2016.