5 GMs with the most on the line in 2020 NFL Draft
The NFL draft is full of hits and misses every year, but some general managers can't afford much of the latter in 2020.
Five GMs specifically need to nail this draft as if their job depends on it, because it probably does:
David Caldwell - Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars were essentially forced to trade away core veterans A.J. Bouye and Calais Campbell after backing themselves into a corner financially. That leaves a sparkling showing in the draft as their only conceivable path to near-term playoff contention.
Only three of Caldwell's last seven first-round picks still reside in Jacksonville, and none of them were picked before 2017. That's a dubious track record for a GM whose team also visited the playoffs just once in seven years. Caldwell has been afforded another season to turn the club around, but Jags owner Shad Khan made it known he's running out of patience.
Jason Licht - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers went all-in when they signed Tom Brady, but Tampa Bay still has serious roster issues to address before the season begins. Of particular concern is the offensive line, which must improve if it's going to protect an immobile 43-year-old quarterback for 16-plus games. The front office must also shore up a leaky secondary and add a viable wide receiver to offset the departure of Breshad Perriman.
Without much cap space left, Licht will be searching for as much plug-and-play talent as he can possibly get out of the 2020 class.
Chris Grier - Miami Dolphins
The easy part was getting the three first-rounders. The hard part is turning those picks into franchise building blocks. Grier needs to walk away from the draft with a quarterback of the future - and then some - for the Dolphins to justify stripping their roster down to the bare bones a year ago.
With five of the first 56 overall picks, there's no reason for Grier to not secure a nucleus for Miami to build around for years to come. And while he'd love to make all five of the aforementioned selections and not trade any of them to move up in the draft, he must read his peers correctly to ensure no other team leapfrogs the Dolphins to snatch Tua Tagovailoa or whichever other signal-caller Miami is presumably targeting at fifth overall.
David Gettleman - New York Giants
The Giants have shown minimal improvement since Gettleman took over in 2018, putting him directly on the hot seat as he enters his third year in charge. While a few of his picks have displayed some of the qualities he drafted them for, the only bona fide impact player he's selected thus far is Saquon Barkley, and even that choice at No. 2 overall was questionable given the relative value of running backs.
Gettleman needs to start hitting on picks at premium positions - offensive tackle, cornerback, and edge rusher - and get a breakout season from sophomore quarterback Daniel Jones to have a chance at being retained beyond 2020.
Ryan Pace - Chicago Bears
Pace has generally succeeded with his veteran acquisitions, but he's barely looked competent when it comes to the draft. Since being hired in 2015, he's spent top-10 selections on Kevin White, Leonard Floyd, Mitchell Trubisky, and Roquan Smith. As if picking Trubisky instead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson wasn't bad enough, Pace got duped into trading up one spot to get him, instantly becoming a laughingstock.
The GM's lack of success in the draft has left the Bears short on depth, especially offensively, which was a factor in their disappointing 2019 campaign. With only two selections in the first five rounds this year, Pace will have to dig deep to find some gems.