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3 general managers who can't afford to mess up the 2017 NFL Draft

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The bulk of free-agency signings are now in the books.

Teams around the league have loaded up their rosters, but for some, April's upcoming draft is where their most important work will take place.

Here are three general managers who must knock this year's draft class out of the park:

Sashi Brown - Browns

Even with a great draft class, the Browns won't be anywhere near ready to compete in 2017. But that's OK, that was general manager Sashi Brown's and head coach Hue Jackson's plan all along.

They're in this for the long haul.

However, while no one will be expecting the Browns to turn into a competitor this upcoming season, most will hope to see some improvement and for the team's vision for the future to become clearer.

Cleveland has 11 total picks this year, so they should be able to rule the draft, moving up and down when it suits them best. They also have five of the first 65 picks, so not only should Brown be looking for quantity, he needs to find several game-changers.

Luckily, one shouldn't be too hard to find.

Former Texas A&M pass-rusher Myles Garrett should be the Browns' pick with the No. 1 overall selection, but beyond that, Cleveland needs more of a base to build around - including a franchise quarterback.

The Browns have spent the last year or so crafting their roster and hoarding picks in order to create this potentially franchise-altering draft. Any poor choices, especially at quarterback, could set back the rebuild significantly.

Chris Ballard - Colts

It's Chris Ballard's first draft as Indy's general manager, so while a bad one wouldn't doom him, it could be crippling to a team that has made clear its intention to build through the draft rather than free agency, as often appeared the case under former GM Ryan Grigson.

The Colts have been active in free agency, signing the likes of John Simon and Jabaal Sheard to the linebacker corps, as well as adding nice depth pieces like wide receiver Kamar Aiken. However, even though Indy has ample amount of cap space, they didn't look to add any marquee free agents. They reportedly pursued A.J. Bouye and Dontari Poe, but appeared to pull out once it was clear the players wanted the type of money Ballard wasn't willing to offer.

So, with Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton in their primes, the Colts need to take advantage of what is a stacked defensive draft class and give their star offensive players some help from the other side of the ball.

For all his failings, Grigson drafted Luck, Hilton, and tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen is his first draft, reinvigorating the Colts' offense almost overnight. Indy needs a similar haul in this year's draft, but this time the Colts need help at every level of their defense, especially at cornerback and pass-rusher.

The Colts still have time to get the most out of Luck, and it's clear this roster is more than one good draft from being a contender. However, it would show Indy is finally back on track after spinning its wheels for the past few seasons.

Mickey Loomis - Saints

The Saints have made the playoffs just once since the 2012 season, a shockingly poor record when you have Drew Brees under center.

However, it's not that surprising when you consider the Saints have finished 28th, 32nd, and 31st in points allowed per game over the past three seasons, respectively.

But not only do the Saints need to get better, they need to do so fast. Brees turned 38 years old in January, and the Saints' window for a second Super Bowl title is closing fast.

If New Orleans' intention to boost its defense this April wasn't clear enough before, the trade of wide receiver Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for the 32nd overall pick and a third-rounder was a clear signal that the team knows drastic measures are needed to improve the defense.

With the addition of those selections for Cooks, the Saints now pick five times in the first 103 selections, but only twice after that. So the pressure is on for Loomis and company to find instant-impact defenders with three of those five picks, maybe more. There's no doubt the Saints could use all five high picks on defense and few would criticize them for it.

If the Saints decide to package a few of those selections in a trade for Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, then the pressure is even greater. New Orleans would have traded premium picks in a draft lauded for its amount of defensive talent.

With a need to balance getting the most of the time left with Brees and not completely mortgaging the franchise's future to do so, Loomis might be the GM with the most at stake come April.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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