NFL Draft Rumors: Updating the Teams Looking to Move on the Board

The 2012 NFL draft is just days away as the festivities begin Thursday April 26th at 8 a.m. Eastern Time, and the NFL rumors are swirling around about what teams are looking to move up the NFL draft board.

Recent NFL draft history shows that teams get desperate, overhype players and take high risks to reap rewards.

For example, the Denver Broncos took a gamble on trading away three draft picks to take Tim Tebow in the first round back in the 2009 NFL Draft. 

In comparison, the Atlanta Falcons moved up 21 spots in the 2011 NFL draft to take wide receiver Julio Jones with the sixth overall pick.

Fast forward to today. In the 2012 NFL draft, there are impact players at every position and even more desperate teams that need major upgrades on offense and defense.

Here are the recent trend of teams that are considering trades to move up the draft board.

Kansas City Chiefs Need Offensive Line Help

After losing out on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to move up on the draft board.

According to Russ Lande at the Sporting News, just two days ago, Kansas City Chiefs were looking to move up to grab the third overall pick from Minnesota Vikings to select USC offensive linemen Matt Kalil. 

Russ Lande went on to say, "If Kalil is not selected by the Vikings, our sources tell us the Chiefs (who own the 11th overall pick) will attempt to trade up to obtain him."

Kansas City definitely wants to bolster that offensive line as in NFL free agency they signed former Texan Eric Winston to play right tackle and have 2008 first-round pick Branden Albert at left tackle.

In 2012, Kalil could take over at left tackle, which would allow the Chiefs to move Albert to guard. 

This report of the Chiefs taking Kalil is also in direct correlation to ESPN NFL expert Adam Schefter, who said on his Twitter account on April 21st that he is only 28.3 percent certain that the Vikings will select Kalil. 

Schefter has been reporting on NFL Live and NFL 32 this past week that Kalil to the Vikings is far from a lock, and he currently believes LSU CB Morris Claiborne or Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon will be the pick at No. 3 .

Schefter went on to say that the Vikings are more interested in Claiborne or Blackmon than Kalil at this point in time and are considering trading out of the spot. 

Philadelphia Eagles Need an Elite Defensive Tackle

The Philadelphia Eagles are looking to move up to draft a defensive tackle. Philadelphia has the 15th overall pick and wants to go up a few spots to get Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.

According to SI's Tony Pauline, the Eagles' target if they trade into the top-10 picks would be Cox, not Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill, who will likely be going to the Miami Dolphins at the eighth overall pick.

The Eagles have shown pre-draft interest in Tannehill, but SI's Peter King reported Monday that it's not enough to move up particularly high.

Jacksonville is at No. 7 and wants to trade down, and teams could leap into that position to secure an impact pass-rusher or the draft's third-best quarterback. 

Baltimore Ravens Need a Complement Wide Receiver

The Baltimore Ravens are also looking to move up to get a playmaker at wide receiver.

The Ravens are at the No. 29 pick, and according to Mike Preston at the Baltimore Sun, the most intriguing receiver who might be there or close to where the Ravens draft in the first round is Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill.

He is 6'4" and runs a 4.36 forty-yard dash, which makes him the perfect complement to Torrey Smith at the other outside receiver position. 

The Ravens have virtually no shot at Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon or Notre Dame's Michael Floyd in the first round.

The Ravens might move up a couple of spots to get Hill.   

New England Patriots Need an Impact Safety

The New England Patriots are in desperate need of trading up to upgrade their 31st ranked pass defense from 2011.

According to Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com, if the Patriots do move up, they will look to draft Alabama safety Mark Barron. Barron is a hard-hitting safety who resembles the style of recently retired Brian Dawkins.

The Patriots will be competing with the Dallas Cowboys for Mark Barron's services. The Patriots have a lot to bargain with five picks, including two in the first round, two in the second round and one in the third round.

Mike Reiss at ESPNBoston.com agreed that Mark Barron has the ability to be an immediate difference maker in the team’s scheme. If the Patriots want him, they’d probably have to trade up into the 10-13 range to pull it off before the Dallas Cowboys at No. 14.

Reiss went on to say that the Patriots have the ammunition to move up to get Barron, and with former Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli sitting at No. 11 with the Chiefs’ pick, it’s fun to consider the possibility of the sides consummating a deal.

Moreover, the NFL is a league where your performance is only based upon your last game and in the 2012 NFL Draft, teams will take on the mentality to win now at any costs by trading up and getting a major impact player.