Debunking the Latest 2012 NFL Draft Smokescreens About Tampa, Minnesota, Buffalo

The closer we get to the NFL draft, the more absurd the smokescreens get. With one day to go, it's getting hard to breathe in here.

First, from NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora:

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Continue to hear Fletcher Cox as going very high in draft. Some teams consider jumping to 5, ahead of STL, for him.

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) April 24, 2012"

The national media is just starting to catch on that Cox is a possible top-10 pick, and all of a sudden, a team will mortgage its draft for him?

The Rams would be the team to trade with, not the Buccaneers; Tampa Bay would certainly extract an exorbitant price to pass on a player the caliber of LSU CB Morris Claiborne or Alabama RB Trent Richardson.

Are teams considering trading to No. 5 for Cox? Maybe, but then they laugh and stop when they hear what Tampa GM Mark Dominik would want.

ESPN draftnik Todd McShay has another twist in the Minnesota saga. According to ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert:

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The freight train of national discussion continues to move away from USC tackle Matt Kalil. The latest episode: ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay has changed his pick for the Minnesota Vikings at No. 3 in his soon-to-be released mock draft. 

Speaking Wednesday morning on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning,"  McShay said he now thinks it's more likely the Vikings will draft LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne if they don't trade down in the first round. 

"Nobody knows for sure except the Minnesota Vikings right now," McShay said. "I'm not getting great information but I do get the sense from the people I'm talking to that they're leaning toward going in a different direction than Kalil."

"

Rick Spielman, just stop. Please.

The steady drumbeat of new targets for the Vikings screams of a GM who thinks he might be able to get something like what the Rams got for their No. 2 pick for his much-less-attractive No. 3 pick.

Even McShay can't sell this rumor without some reservation.

The Bills also have a trick or two up their sleeve. From beat writer Joe Buscaglia: 

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According to a league source, the Buffalo Bills are extremely interested in Alabama safety Mark Barron, along with South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore as candidates for the tenth overall selection.

The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the Bills view Barron as a "playmaker" and a "day-one starter" for their defensive scheme. There is also some interest from the Bills in Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, but the buzz continues to surround Barron's name.

"

To thicken the plot, BuffaloBills.com writer Chris Brown actually has the Bills taking Barron at No. 10 in his mock.

Bills GM Buddy Nix knows that he can afford to trade down four to eight spots in the first round and still land a coveted target at WR or OT.

Perhaps Gilmore could be the pick, but with Jairus Byrd and George Wilson in tow, Mark Barron would be strange unless the team is thinking of the 4-2-5 as a base defense.

The Bills are trying to capitalize on the massive surge in interest for Mark Barron from teams like Dallas and San Diego.