Two potential candidates for the Lions next general manager
Baltimore’s Director of Player Personnel, Joe Hortiz, should get a shot at being a GM soon
Joe Hortiz has been with the Baltimore Ravens organization for over 20 years and has worked his way up from the bottom levels of the front office all the way to his current position. Before being named a Director of Player Personnel in the 2019 offseason, Hortiz held the position of Director of College Scouting for 10 years.
In his time as the Director of College Scouting, he was responsible for suggesting impact players that should be selected that included guys like tackle Ronnie Stanley, linebacker Za’Darius Smith, linebacker C.J. Mosley, defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, elite guard Kelechi Osemele, along with many other important role-players. Many of the guys he helped to draft would go on to help the team in their numerous playoff appearances and eventual Super Bowl win.
Stanley is a franchise left tackle, Osemele (in his prime) was an elite guard in the NFL, and Mosley is still an impactful linebacker when on the field. Another one of the picks he helped with, the aforementioned Smith, has since left Baltimore and cashed in big in Green Bay, providing excellent pass-rush and good linebacker play.
His history of being involved in building a team from the ground up isn’t as strong as Dodds’, but Hortiz has been heavily involved in building this recent Baltimore team, which is a strong Super Bowl contender and has every chance of making it to the AFC Championship game.
He has a strong background as a scout, being that’s what he started out doing for the Ravens some 20-odd years ago. Given his extensive background in scouting and now having a decade-plus of experience in being in charge of a large number of scouts and other front-office staff,
Hortiz may finally have the experience he needs to take over an entire front office as the final decision maker as a general manager of an NFL franchise. Here’s a great clip that shows his thought process when it comes to the draft/scouting and why he and the Ravens took who they did in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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Both of these guys, Dodds and Hortiz, both have strong resumes and great backgrounds in the NFL. Dodds probably has the edge over Hortiz at the moment, but both could very well be running their own teams in 2021. With any luck, the Detroit Lions will have been able to snag one of these bright men and they will be on their way to turning the Lions into one of the NFL’s best.