CLEVELAND — San Francisco general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan made a deal going into the 2021 NFL draft. They would limit information concerning their plans, thinking and leanings from everyone else in the organization.
Scouts. Assistant coaches. Even team owner Jed York was left in the dark (well, until the very end for York). The concept was simple: If no one knew what they were thinking, no one would fear speaking out and offering a contrarian opinion about a prospect. This would guard against groupthink and confirmation bias.
“You don’t want to sway people,” Shanahan said.