NFL Draft Season Can Resemble Poker Game With Plenty Of Misinformation

Gathering information during the NFL draft process is important for teams, but spreading misinformation might be just as important.

Teams are performing their due diligence when it comes to scouting on all fronts — through the NFL Scouting Combine, pro days, game film review and anything else they can think of to vet prospects. There’s really no such thing as too much information.

The dirty little secret, however, is that teams will also plant bad information. Rather, they’ll put out false interest or disinterest in a player with hopes of manipulating when and where certain prospects are drafted. Former NFL linebacker Brady Poppinga sees that taking place already, especially coming out of this year’s combine.

“When it comes to the NFL draft, bluffing can be just as important as it is in the card game,” Poppinga wrote on FootballByFootball.com “Drafting a player you’ve targeted too soon — or concerns about who else might take him if you don’t — drive decisions at this time of year.  When information is at such a premium on the professional football calendar, competent bluffing isn’t just a nice skill to have, it’s often a necessity.”

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Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images