How the 49ers and other teams are dealing with misinformation as the draft approaches

How the 49ers and other teams deal with misinformation as draft approaches originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

This is the time of year when everything about the NFL happens behind the scenes.

Teams have largely put their free agent activities on hold as all attention turns to the upcoming NFL Draft.

There is a lot of information circulating that can be used for competitive advantage – if only teams could easily distinguish fact from fiction.

“We try in a lot of ways to get a feel for what other teams are thinking,” said Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke when asked by NBC Sports Bay Area how he knows what reports or rumors are around this time of year can give faith. “If I shared this with you, you would bring it back to San Francisco.”

Oh, and paranoia is also at a high level as the draft approaches.

“I think you can drive yourself crazy trying to do that,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said. “But you always want to stay up to date with what's being said in the media, who's coming for 30 visits and things like that. People have gotten pretty good at identifying these things. They can give you some pointers. Or they could be kidding you.”

Each team is allowed to bring 30 local prospects to their team headquarters. In some cases there is genuine interest in these players. However, other visits may be arranged to address character concerns, pre-existing injuries, or simply to serve as a cover.

The deadline for such visits is April 17. The 49ers will also host a group of local prospects for pre-draft training in Santa Clara on Wednesday.

“You're trying to get a sense of what the team needs from the other teams and who to send their guys to look at,” said Baalke, who was the 49ers' general manager for six seasons. “These are things we map and track.”

Since Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan joined the team in 2017, there have been many instances of misinformation — or misinterpretation — about the 49ers' draft desires.

That first year, it was rumored that the 49ers had their eye on running back Leonard Fournette with the No. 2 overall pick after inviting him for a pre-draft visit.

In the weeks leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, longtime Shanahan friend and NBC analyst Chris Simms said he would be “shocked” if the 49ers didn't select quarterback Mac Jones with the third overall pick. Clearly, Shanahan never gave Simms any push to take him in a different direction.

In 2017, the 49ers traded back a spot with the Chicago Bears and selected Solomon Thomas instead of Fournette, who they seemingly had no intention of ever taking with their first pick. The 49ers gave the trade certainty that the Bears wouldn't take anyone the 49ers selected.

And three years ago, the 49ers chose quarterback Trey Lance after moving from No. 12 to No. 3 in a trade with the Miami Dolphins a month before the draft.

“We try to focus on ourselves, but it’s important to know the competition,” Lynch said. “I would say if we picked very early, probably the most important thing is to weigh up. Once the draft starts, it takes off and it kind of moves.”

Every year – and every round – teams routinely trade away a player they believe another team is eyeing as a draft pick. In some cases, there may be actual information that leads them in that direction. Sometimes it might just be a hunch.

“Ultimately your job is to find the right place to select a player,” Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “And that happens in many different ways. You need to evaluate the player, look at a historical basis for the value of this draft pick, and figure out if this is a good decision.

“If you read up on what other teams are doing, I don’t know if that’s the best thing you can do.”

In 2020, the 49ers saw an opportunity to pass a few teams and select a wide receiver.

The Vikings selected receiver Justin Jefferson 22nd overall and had another pick three spots later. The 49ers moved up from No. 31 to No. 25 — parting with fourth- and fifth-round picks — to select wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

The 49ers managed to keep their interest in Aiyuk secret, although Shanahan later claimed that Aiyuk was his favorite receiver in the draft.

But even if word got out, would anyone have believed it?

“There are a lot of things out there that are just not accurate,” Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. “So personally, I really don’t read or listen to these other things. I remain focused on our process and what we need to do.

“There are some real things we learn through direct communication, but I don't read what the narratives are. You'd go crazy if you did that. It’s about focusing on our process and knowing what’s real.”

And while it can be helpful to be able to predict teams' moves to make a close selection, it should never cause a team to make a regrettable decision.

“You have to make the best possible decision for yourself,” said Baalke. “It helps when you have a feel for what other teams are going to do, especially if they're right in front of you in the draft. But it's impossible to know what every team is thinking.

“When you read, you think it's a fact, and most of the time it's not a fact, so I try not to read much. If I did that, I’d be hanging on a bridge somewhere.”

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