This year, starting April 28^th will be the 80^th Draft for the National Football League in the Auditorium Theatre of Chicago. Now, as players and coaches get ready to sign possible career-making contracts, mock drafts go on beneath the surface.

According to the official NFL website, Mock drafts are simulations used by media sports analysists to predict a specifics team possible choice for the draft. Before the draft itself can happen, these analysists use the college player’s statistics to pre-determine the projected first round picks. They also use the overall team statistics, including recent trades and, in the case of the Denver Broncos, retirements to determine the probability of the team scouting for certain positions. For example, the Broncos will be most likely drafting a quarterback in the first round as a result of Peyton Manning recently announcing his retirement. Considering the thirty teams that will pick before the broncos, and the skill level of each of the quarterbacks, analysts can foresee which player will be signed by the Super Bowl champions.

Every year multiple sports related sites, such as CBS or ESPN, conduct their own mock drafts and establish which athletes they believe will be selected and by whom; the past mock drafts were held by NFL analysts Buck Brooks, Daniel Jeremiah, and Charles Davis, who Predicted the first round drafts picks.

Currently the most popular quarterback seems to be Carson Wentz from North Dakota State, as selected by Brooks, Davis and Jeremiah to be the potential first round pick for QB. However, Brooks and Jeremiah disagreed with Davis when it came to who would be signed first. Brooks and Jeremiah both agreed the Tennessee Titans would pick former Rebel, Laremy Tunsil, an offensive tackle. On the other end, Davis chose 6’-1” cornerback Jalen Ramsety from Florida State.

What many may not be aware of is that preceding the draft is a barrage of lies from professional teams about their top picks. By doing this, teams hope that opposing teams will come to lose interest in the players that are viewed as critical for the lying team to succeed in the upcoming season. The Dallas Cowboys, for example, claimed that they were no longer interested in replacing their current quarterback, Tony Romo, with a rookie from the draft. However, CBS sports analyst called the Cowboys on their bluff, stating that the only reason the Cowboys made this claim was to increase the probability of signing big name rookies like Jared Goff or Carson Wentz. According to the Dallas Sun Times, the Cowboys’ Manager, Jerry Jones, attempted to deceive the Cleveland Browns who, with the number two pick, have a much higher chance of collecting a fresh QB.

Other teams may view the Cowboys as a threat and trade in their pick for number three, ahead of the Cowboys who currently stand with the number four pick. If this were to happen, Dallas would no longer have a top quarterback available as a first round pick. To prevent all of this from happening, Jones informed media that the Dallas cowboys will not be looking for a quarterback to draft. Nonetheless, according to CBS, the Cowboys had invited Paxton Lynch, Jared Goff, and Carson Wentz to join them in trainings.

Moreover, these mocks are only predictions and can only guess at what the three day showdown will actually entail. The picks will take place April 28^th-30^th, in the Auditorium Theater at Roosevelt University in Chicago.