Teams pull out all the stops come draft day

As important as subterfuge is to any NFL team, perhaps it’s no more valuable or evident than this weekend when the league’s two-day draft commences at New York’s Jacob Javits Convention Center and all the half-truths, denials and furtive deal-making the past few weeks come to a head.

Trade up? Trade down? Stand pat? Pick and trade?

“We wake up Saturday morning ready to rock and roll,” San Diego Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said earlier this week.

Presumably, so will the San Francisco 49ers, who have the top pick and are expected to use it on Utah QB Alex Smith.

Unless, of course, they don’t.

Some teams already have made trades that give them added flexibility come draft day, and further maneuvering regarding picks or trades becomes essential once players begin to be chosen. Such uncertainty is heightened by the fact that this draft pool is a wide-open assortment with anything but a logical pecking order.