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Dan Mullen thinks 'bad advice' leads to underclassmen going undrafted

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Thirty of the 107 underclassmen in the 2016 NFL Draft didn't get selected, and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen thinks it's because the players were given bad advice.

"Too many times in the process, people are trying to sell kids everything," Mullen told Chris Vannini of CoachingSearch.com. "They're trying to take advantage of these kids. They're trying to sell them a dream. Sometimes, when people tell them the truth and the reality, they don't like that."

Three Bulldogs underclassmen entered the draft, but Chris Jones' second-round selection marked the only one of Mullen's players to get drafted. De'Runnya Wilson and Beniquez Brown both inked undrafted free-agent deals, but will likely struggle to make a roster.

Mullen said he's honest with players when evaluating them, even though they may not always want to hear the truth.

"Most people like to be told what they want to hear, not what they need to hear sometimes," Mullen said. "I want to make sure you're successful and understand the situation you're getting into. I think guys in the future are going to have the opportunity to look at the situation and hopefully listen to people who give them advice and then make good decisions off the advice they get."

Mullen's comments certainly hold some weight, and perhaps the future will see football take on the model basketball did this year. College basketball underclassmen are now allowed to declare for the draft without hiring an agent, and go through the combine or tryouts with professional teams before deciding whether or not they'll return to school.

That practice saw a record number of people declare for the NBA draft. With the window to return available, it could be effective in football, as well.

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