With The First Pick
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Who are the Top 5 NFL General Managers entering the 2019 season?

By Nicholas Perlich

ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 4: Head Coach Bill Belichick of the Super Bowl LIII Champion New England Patriots is interviewed at a press conference on February 4, 2019 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 4: Head Coach Bill Belichick of the Super Bowl LIII Champion New England Patriots is interviewed at a press conference on February 4, 2019 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – SEPTEMBER 11: New Orleans Saints Vice President and General Manager Mickey Loomis walks on the field during pre-game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 11, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – SEPTEMBER 11: New Orleans Saints Vice President and General Manager Mickey Loomis walks on the field during pre-game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 11, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

3. Mickey Loomis, New Orleans Saints

Mickey Loomis does not get enough credit for the recent success that the New Orleans Saints have enjoyed. He was hired in 2002 and since then has made the playoffs seven times, and won the Super Bowl in 2009. He was also named NFL Executive of the year in 2006.

Like most good General Managers, Loomis has built the Saints mostly through the draft. Some of his early draft picks included Will Smith, Reggie Bush, Jahri Evans, Marques Colston, Malcolm Jenkins, Jimmy Graham, Cameron Jordan, and Mark Ingram. More recently, he was responsible for drafting Terron Armstead, Brandin Cooks, Andrus Peat, Sheldon Rankins, Michael Thomas, Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, Marcus Williams, Alvin Kamara, Alex Anzalone, and Marcus Davenport.

This year’s draft picks Erick McCoy and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson have a chance to make contributions early as rookies.

The Saints have also done a good job adding the right complementary free agents during Loomis’ tenure. Obviously, the key addition was adding future Hall of Famer Drew Brees. He has also added key players like Craig Robertson, Manti Te’o, Alex Okafor, Cameron Meredith, and Benjamin Watson in free agency.

This offseason saw Loomis add Jared Cook, Nick Easton, Mario Edwards, Malcolm Brown, and Latavius Murray. All figure to be starters or significant role players for the 2019 season.

There is no denying that the Saints have been extremely unlucky in the playoffs the past two years, but they figure to continue to be legitimate contenders as long as Mickey Loomis, Sean Payton, and Drew Brees are on the payroll.

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