Now that the bulk of the NFL offseason is behind us and the first-year general managers have had at least one offseason to run — except in New York, where the Jets are doing Jets things — let’s revisit the league’s hierarchy of decision makers.

My approach to putting together these rankings was simple: If I owned an NFL franchise and could handpick my GM, who would I choose to run my team? That answer would be different for another person, so I just wanted to lay out what I’m looking for in my dream candidate before we get to the rankings…

I want someone who understands that the NFL draft is very much like a lottery: Studies have shown that draft performance is volatile and past success is not a predictor of future success, so I won’t give too much credit to a GM with an unsustainable hit rate on draft picks. Regression is coming. I’d favor someone who wants to acquire as many picks as possible, knowing that the best way to win a lottery is to buy the most tickets.

Cap management is also big for me. I want a general manager who understands positional value and only hands out big-money contracts to players at the premium positions. In other words, the players who most impact the passing game, such as quarterbacks, receivers, defensive backs and offensive linemen.

I want a creative general manager. One who knows how to work the compensatory pick game. One who knows how to structure big contracts in a way that doesn’t hurt my team’s cap down the road. One who realizes the value of trading Day 3 draft picks for veteran contracts.

Then, finally, I want a general manager who does not let short-term needs get in the way of his or her long-term vision.

So now that you know what I’m looking for in a general manager, let’s get to the rankings…

32. Adam Gase, Jets

Adam Gase kind of just fell into the interim GM role for the Jets. With the way the team’s search for a full-time general manager has gone thus far, it wouldn’t be a total shock if he was handed the reins full time. But, for now, we really have nothing to judge Gase’s front office acumen on, so he’ll have to settle for the last spot on the list.

31. Jason Licht, Buccaneers

Seriously, how does Jason Licht still have this job? He’s spent a TON of money in free agency and those moves have not paid off. He’s also botched most of his first-round picks, which have been near or in the top-10. And, oh yeah, he’s drafted TWO kickers! He justified this year’s pick by claiming that kicker is one of the most important positions on the roster. Let that sink in.

30. Mike Mayock, Raiders

I’m going to be honest: It felt a little weird typing Mike Mayock’s name here. It still hasn’t sunk in that the NFL Network’s draft guy is now running a front office. I was not a fan of his first draft or his first shot at free agency, but he did steal Antonio Brown from Pittsburgh for next to nothing.

29. Brian Gaine, Texans

I have nothing of substance to say about Gaine. He hasn’t been very active in free agency, which I suppose is a good thing, and he hasn’t had much of a chance to show us his approach to the draft. Ask me again next year.

28. Brian Gutekunst, Packers

I’m going to give Brian Gutekunst the benefit of doubt just because he worked under Ted Thompson, whom I hold in high regard, but I wasn’t crazy about this last offseason. He overspent for two pass rushers in free agency (Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith) before over-drafting another raw one in Rashan Gary. That’s not the Packer way. Though, in fairness, the Packer way had not been working in recent years.

27. John Lynch, 49ers

It’s been all downhill for John Lynch after he robbed the Bears at his first NFL Draft. It appears Lynch squandered those extra picks he fleeced from Chicago and his spending in free agency hasn’t made up for it. Then there’s the Jimmy Garoppolo contract, which doesn’t look great one year into it. If Lynch could build even an average defense, the 49ers would be a good team thanks to Kyle Shanahan’s offense. It doesn’t appear he’s capable of doing so, unfortunately.

26. Dave Gettleman, Giants

It was all good just three years ago. After Dave Gettleman put the finishing touches on Carolina’s 15-1 roster, he spent the ensuing years tarnishing his reputation with his outdated philosophy. Gettleman really jumped the shark this offseason, failing to get good value out of any of his first-round picks and getting rid of the Giants three best players. And seemingly all of this was in an effort to appease Eli Freaking Manning.

25. Dave Caldwell, Jaguars

Dave Caldwell was gifted loads of cap space and an endless supply of premium draft picks, and all he could get out those resources was one flukey 10-6 season. His first-round draft picks outside of Jalen Ramsey have all disappointed and he’s botched the team’s quarterback situation two offseasons in a row.

24. Marty Hurney, Panthers

I suppose Marty Hurney hasn’t done anything overly egregious during his second stint as Panthers GM, but the stink of his first go-round is still lingering. Carolina is two or three shrewd moves away from getting back to Super Bowl contention but that may be too much to ask of Hurney, who proudly admits he’s not into analytics.

23. Brandon Beane, Bills

I really don’t know how to feel about Brandon Beane, who worked under Dave Gettleman in Carolina (RED FLAG!!!!). He seems to be taking the right approach to building up Buffalo’s roster, but I don’t like the significant moves he’s made. Drafting Josh Allen as high as he did is at the top of that list. Spending big on Star Lotulelei and trading for Kelvin Benjamin looked foolish at the time. That said, Beane has done a good job this offseason. If those moves pay off, the Bills could compete for a Wild Card spot and Beane will be higher on this list a year from now.

22. Steve Keim, Cardinals

After building a fantastic roster that nearly gave the Cardinals their second Super Bowl appearance, Steve Keim has spent the last few seasons wasting a lot of draft resources and letting the core of Arizona’s roster rot. Maybe Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray will repair his reputation, but until then, Keim does not deserve a spot in the top-20.

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21. Bob Quinn, Lions

Bob Quinn’s approach to building the Lions roster was flawed from the beginning, so it makes sense that Detroit has been running in place during his tenure as GM. He continues to try to build from the trenches out, and he doubled down on that strategy this offseason by overpaying for Trey Flowers and over-drafting a basic tight end in T.J. Hockenson. He was also responsible for Matthew Stafford’s albatross of a contract.

20. Bruce Allen, Redskins

Bruce Allen needs to fire his PR person. His handling of public matters has been, well, bad. But Allen has overseen some solid drafts and, in hindsight, it appears he handled the Kirk Cousins correctly. Following that decision up with the trade for Alex Smith was a mistake, but it appears Washington managed to avoid a disaster at the QB position with the drafting of Dwayne Haskins.

19. Chris Grier, Dolphins

I could be jumping the gun here, but I love everything Chris Grier has done after finally getting his shot to run the team. The Dolphins have spent the offseason acquiring draft capital and they managed to find a potential franchise quarterback, Josh Rosen, at a steep discount. Miami is headed in the right direction for the first time in a long time.

18. Brett Veach, Chiefs

I would have been a lot higher on Brett Veach if these rankings came out before the Frank Clark deal went through. Veach hasn’t given us a lot to judge him on, but the rest of his moves have made sense and he certainly has the Chiefs trending in the right direction. Of course, former Chiefs GM John Dorsey deserves a lot of the credit for that.

17. Jon Robinson, Titans

After his first few seasons in charge of the Titans, it looked like Jon Robinson could be one of the better general managers in the league. He’s been just “meh” since then. Sure, he’s found some good talent in the draft but that’s not sustainable and his free agency decisions have been hit-or-miss — but mostly “miss.”

16. John Elway, Broncos

John Elway gets a lot of crap for his total incompetence when it comes to Denver’s quarterback situation — and deservedly so! — but the Hall of Fame QB has done a fantastic job building up the rest of the roster during his time in charge of the front office. Unfortunately for him, quarterback is the most important position to fill.

15. Duke Tobin, Bengals

Say what you want about the Bengals coaching staff during the Marvin Lewis era, and owner Mike Brown, but Cincinnati has always had plenty of talent while Duke Tobin has led the front office. The Bengals have done a good job of retaining homegrown talent and you rarely see them overpay in free agency.

14. Ryan Pace, Bears

My opinion on Ryan Pace has oscillated between “I like him a lot” and “This guy is clueless” during his time as Bears GM. Most of his decisions have been good ones, including the hiring of Matt Nagy. But this is the same guy who hired John Fox. He also traded up to take the third-best QB in his draft class. And while the Khalil Mack trade has paid off so far, Pace gave up A LOT, and Mack’s massive deal didn’t really kick in until this season and the team has already had to restructure it to free up cap space.

13. Jerry and Stephen Jones, Cowboys

I’m not sure who deserves the bulk of the credit for building this current Cowboys roster, but I’ll say this: The Dallas front office was not nearly as competent when it was just Jerry running the show. Since Stephen was given more power, the Cowboys have taken a more rational approach to roster construction. Their handling of the Dak Prescott contract could push this duo up into the top-10, or it could push them down near the 20s.

12. John Dorsey, Browns

John Dorsey’s eye for talent is beyond reproach, but I feel like he’s getting too much credit for building the current Browns roster. I’m not saying he hasn’t done a good job, but the previous regime left him with more resources than any GM in NFL history has ever inherited. I’ll wait for the Browns to actually win something — which I expect them to do in 2019 — before crowning him and forgiving him for his poor cap management in Kansas City.

11. Rick Spielman, Vikings

Eighty. Four. Million. Dollars. Fully. Guaranteed.

That we know the full details of Kirk Cousins’ contract off the top of our heads is not a good sign. The rest of Rick Spielman’s very impressive body of work should have earned him a spot in the top-10, but the Cousins deal overshadows it all and may have prematurely closed this Vikings team’s Super Bowl window.

10. Les Snead, Rams

I had no idea where to put Les Snead on this list. He has his fair share of highs — drafting Aaron Donald, hiring Sean McVay, the RGIII trade — and his fair share of lows — the Todd Gurley contract, trading up for Jared Goff, squandering most of the picks from the RGIII trade — but he has built one of the most talented rosters in the league. If he’s able to maintain it over the next few years, he deserves a spot closer to the top of the list.

9. Mickey Loomis, Saints

While Mickey Loomis’ cap management has never been great — or even good — his ability to MacGyver his way out of cap hell has been remarkable. Loomis has already built a Super Bowl-winning roster and, a decade later, he’s built another capable of winning a Lombardi Trophy.

8. Tom Telesco, Chargers

Tom Telesco took over the Chargers in 2013 and since then, the team has never lacked an abundance of talent. It’s always been bad coaching and even worse luck sabotaging this franchise. But Telesco has continued to add talent and has done so without getting the team into salary cap trouble. Los Angeles might be home to the deepest roster in the league, and it has Telesco to thank for that.

7. Eric DeCosta, Ravens

Eric DeCosta is technically a first-year GM but he’s been Ozzie Newsome’s right-hand man for years now, and, based on his first season in charge, he’s going to pick up right where Newsome left off. Baltimore’s offseason, which saw several key veterans leave in free agency, showed that DeCosta is willing to make a tough decision that may upset fans if it improves the future of the franchise.

6. Thomas Dimitroff, Falcons

I’m not the biggest fan of Thomas Dimitroff’s coaching hires — assuming he’s making those decisions — but when is the last time the Falcons went into a season with no chance to be good? It’s been a while, and the reason is Dimitroff’s approach to constructing the roster. He pays the right players and makes the right decisions to let others walk.

5. Kevin Colbert, Steelers

Kevin Colbert did not handle the Antonio Brown situation well, but it’s hard to take issue with the rest of his body of work as Steelers GM. He’s made some poor picks in the first round but his work in the later rounds has more than made up for those misses. His biggest test will come when Ben Roethlisberger retires and he’ll be tasked with finding a franchise quarterback.

4. John Schneider, Seahawks

If the Seahawks ownership would just ban John Schneider from trading first-round picks, he’d be a spot or two higher on this list. But he, along with Pete Carroll’s coaching staff, was left for dead after last offseason when several veteran leaders were let go. Some outlets had Seattle picking in the top-10 of the 2019 draft. Instead, Schneider and company rebuilt the team on the fly and led the Seahawks back to the playoffs. Any GM can build one good team. Schneider has now built two.

3. Chris Ballard, Colts

Maybe Chris Ballard has us all fooled, but his approach to building the Colts roster has the analytics community’s attention. He has maintained Indianapolis’ cushy cap situation while still managing to build a playoff roster. His acquisition of draft assets, which hasn’t required the Colts to give up premium picks themselves, has been commendable. And Ballard has finally put a competent offense around Andrew Luck, which the previous front office couldn’t do despite Luck being on a rookie contract. Ballard is not just building a Super Bowl contender. This looks like the start of the next dynasty.

2. Bill Belichick, Patriots

This the fourth year I’ve done this exercise and Bill Belichick has been at the top of the list every time … until now. While I don’t think Belichick The GM has lost his fastball just yet, as evidenced by another stellar offseason in New England, he’s just not hitting 99 MPH on the gun as consistently as he once did. Luckily, he has Belichick The Coach to make up for the few mistakes he’s made along the way.

1. Howie Roseman, Eagles

There isn’t a more creative GM in the league, and that includes Belichick. Howie Roseman always seems to be a step ahead of his competitors. His trades always seem to pay off. His decisions in free agency have improved the roster without killing the team’s cap situation. And no one is better at gaming the compensatory pick system. That the Eagles were able to make a playoff run in 2018 despite their remarkably poor injury luck, which included the loss of the starting quarterback, is a testament to the depth of Philly’s roster. If I owned an NFL franchise and had my pick of general managers, the 43-year-old would be at the top of my list.