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How does New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman fare against the other 31 GMs in the NFL? Funny you should ask.
Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com recently ranked all 32 NFL general managers in a recent post and — contrary to public opinion — Gettleman was not the worst.
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In fact, Gettleman fared much better than anyone might have expected. The knock on Dave is that his methodology and process is still steeped in the old school ways of the last century and that the game has passed him by. Based on the Giants’ record since he took over the club in 2018 (15-33) that argument is hard to debunk.
But Rosenthal is fair with Gettleman, ranking him 22nd in the league out of 23 who qualify (the Las Vegas Raiders were last). He knows how to turn an organization around, but he just needs a calendar.
Rosenthal ranks Gettleman’s selection of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (No. 17 overall, 2019) as his best draft pick. His worst? You guessed it, cornerback DeAndre Baker 13 picks later.
It’s early, but selecting tackle Andrew Thomas at No. 4 overall last year when three standout tackles were taken after him is a troubling sign. Meanwhile, the jury is still out on No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones. Less so for fellow 2019 first-round pick DeAndre Baker, whom the Giants traded up for but who’s no longer on the team. (New York’s other first-rounder from two years ago, Dexter Lawrence, is a nice contributor.) It’s not Saquon Barkley’s fault he tore his ACL, but an offense built around him in 2018-19 had its limitations. Gettleman wants a team full of large humans who can run the ball and stop the run, an approach that’s out of step with the current NFL. There is a ticking clock on Gettleman’s plan coming together in time.
For the record, Rosenthal ranks Indianapolis’ Chris Ballard as the league’s top GM. The Colts have gone 4-12, 10-6, 7-9 and 11-5 during his tenure, which began in 2017, and have not won a postseason game.