The 10 greatest false alarms in NFL history: an April Fools special

NEW YORK CITY - APRIL 24: Quarterback Eli Manning (Mississippi) stands next to his older brother QB Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts after Eli was selected first overall by the San Diego Chargers at the 2004 NFL Draft on April 24, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Manning was later traded to the New York Giants in exchange for QB Philip Rivers (North Carolina State) and New York's third-round pick (No. 65), which they use to select Iowa K Nate Kaeding, and the Giants' first-round and fifth-round picks in the 2005 draft. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

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03. Otis Taylor escapes NFL custody to join the Chiefs

News coverage wasn’t nearly as widespread back in the 1960s as it is today, but one can just imagine how crazy things would’ve been had this story come out at the time. Otis Taylor was a talented young wide receiver out of Oklahoma who found himself in the middle of a football civil war between the NFL and upstart AFL leagues. The scouts on both sides had become notorious for deploying less than ethical tactics at times in order to secure college players.

One thing the NFL liked to do was basically lure prospects to a hotel with food and room services, even placing guards outside in order to deflect potential intruders. It looked like this plan would succeed in landing Taylor for them. That is until Kansas City Chiefs scout Lloyd Wells literally snuck into the window of his hotel room and convinced Taylor it was in his best interests to leave with him.

The receiver accepted, slipped out the window with Wells and went on to become a three-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion in Kansas City.

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