To date, there are four GM openings in the league. If you’re interested in finding out who the hot candidates are to fill these positions, there are many places to find them. Dan Hatman of The Scouting Academy does a great job of providing a full inventory of top candidates here. However, there are more.

My goal today is to provide some outside the outside-the-box candidates, impressive people who were not only not on Dan’s list, but also not on the controversial list of top minority candidates distributed by the NFL to the media last week (which had several glaring omissions). These are five top minority candidates that were not listed by Dan or in the league document, presented alphabetically.

• Mike Martin, College Scout, Panthers: Martin is just an area scout right now, but he was the assistant college director with the Texans before the team cleaned house after a GM change. Vanderbilt-educated, his most impressive trait is his even temperament. He’s got an extensive network in the Southeast, too, which doesn’t hurt. 
• Sam Seale, National Scout, Packers: Seale’s problem is that he’s on the wrong side of 50, which makes him decidedly non-sexy. However, he’s got decades with one of the best organizations, and if I’m hiring someone to run my organization, he has to know talent. One scout I talk to always raves about Seale’s ability to evaluate.
• Jamaal Stephenson, Director of College Scouting, Vikings: It boggles my mind that Stephenson doesn’t get more exposure. He’s got director-level experience, he’s Brown-educated, and has spent more than a decade with one of the NFL’s best GMs, Rick Spielman. 
• Sam Summerville, Area Scout, Bears: Everyone loves to trash the Bears for the quarterback they drafted and the two they didn’t draft, but don’t pin that on Summerville. He’s got experience with multiple organizations, he’s got pro and college experience, and he’s always looking to challenge himself and grow. 
• Richmond Williams, Director of Pro Personnel, Packers: Whenever I talk to scouts and evaluators about who impresses them, they always mention Williams. He’s another evaluator with extensive pro and college experience, and his steady climb through a top organization speaks for itself.

Keep in mind that I don’t write this to simply canvas the league and name everyone who wasn’t on either list. These are people of respect that have the pedigree and the body of work that warrants their consideration for a top post, and I’m confident they’ll get that eventually. Their problem right now is they aren’t “hot,” i.e., don’t come from the right organizations, or maybe they’re still a little underdeveloped and their time(s) have not come. But they will.

Make sure to check out this week’s Friday Wrap as we discuss several big questions on the lips of scouts, directors, agents and college personnel that must be answered soon. Register for it here.