Rotoworld: Atlanta Falcons’ Thomas Dimitroff ranks 15th among NFL GMs

Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff is more than his immaculately styled hair. He’s more than his sporty bike shorts. And he’s more than his vaguely hipster suit game. Dimitroff is a talented GM that, like most of his contemporaries, has made mistakes. He’s often picked on because of those mistakes. But under the right circumstances, if the stars align, Dimitroff’s mistakes won’t be his legacy.

Rotoworld published the GM rankings today. The good news: Dimitroff rocketed up their rankings. The bad news: he’s still just mediocre, according to their rankings.

15. Thomas Dimitroff, Falcons

Last Year’s Ranking: 27

The bottom fell out for Thomas Dimitroff following the Falcons’ 2012-13 NFC Championship Game loss [...] Dimitroff, never the canniest personnel man beyond his rookie act of drafting Matt Ryan, was hanging by a thread. He needed a little help from his friends [...] Scott Pioli aided Dimitroff in slowly replenishing the roster, while coach Dan Quinn and OC Kyle Shanahan revitalized a stagnant on-field approach. You could say Pioli and Quinn deserve more of the credit for the Falcons’ turnaround than Dimitroff, but part of being a good leader is knowing who to hire and trust.

I can’t say that’s an unfair assessment. Personnel management is an art form, not an exact science. There’s no formula you can apply to guarantee sustained success. In short, you’re bound to miss the mark here and there.

But if we don’t lose the forrest for the trees and keep the big picture in mind, Dimitroff’s tenure has been, at a minimum, satisfactory. If the Falcons manage to keep up their winning ways over the next few seasons, and in particular if they win a Super Bowl, Dimitroff is suddenly a top ten GM.

These rankings obviously mean nothing, just like most of the rankings we share with you. But they are certainly worth discussing. So discuss!