NFL Draft Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz and Pick Speculation from Around the League

If you thought Floyd Mayweather's ring entrance was a little bit out of control, there's a chance you might not be ready for the next couple of days. 

Sure, the week of the NFL draft may not feature any clowns—at least the ones with face paint and red noses—or jugglers, but it's going to produce a wild and endless stream of rumors and speculation. According to everyone, every team in the league has no interest in every prospect, loves every prospect and wants to trade their pick. 

That is, of course, hyperbole, but in the days leading up to Thursday's first round, there's going to be a whole lot of rumors being thrown around, many of which are nothing more than smokescreens. 

Let's take a look at the most recent gossip making the rounds. 

St. Louis Rams Like Johnny Manziel at No. 2? 

Among the teams in the top five, the Rams, who went 7-9 last season in the stacked NFC West but own the No. 2 pick because of the Robert Griffin III trade with Washington in 2012, have the most depth. 

As such, they are one of the most difficult teams at the top of the draft to peg. General manager Les Snead and his staff could beef up the offensive line with Greg Robinson, add a dynamic offensive playmaker in Sammy Watkins, continue to add to an already terrific pass rush with Jadeveon Clowney or Khalil Mack or trade the pick for more assets—again. 

According to NFL.com's Adam Kaplan, though, executives around the league are convinced St. Louis has another direction in mind: 

While 2010 No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford hasn't worked out as expected, he showed signs of a breakout season in 2013 (career highs in completion percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratio, adjusted yards per attempt, yards per game and QB rating) before tearing his ACL in October. 

It's understandable that the Rams are getting a little impatient with the 26-year-old under center, and an outright cut, according to OverTheCap.com, would save more than $10 million in cap room. 

On CBS Sports radio, Jason La Canfora, via Sports Illustrated's Bryan Rose, said that a trade was also a possibility: 

"

There are people in the league who believe there have been discussions with the Vikings. Rams people have denied any conversations whatsoever. The bottom line is if they don’t take a quarterback, they’re not trading Sam Bradford. There’s so much uncertainty in this draft that it’d be difficult to put the horse before the cart … all these things are tied together.

The Rams are going to talk to a lot of teams between now and whenever their first pick is, continue to gauge the market.

"

St. Louis has shown great trust in Bradford throughout his four seasons, so it's probably safe to call this one a long shot. But there's no question Johnny Manziel's tantalizing skill set and undeniable ceiling will make Snead think long and hard about his QB options. 

Oakland Raiders Set at Quarterback?

It was buried in the San Francisco Chronicle's Vic Tafur's recent piece, but it's an intriguing tidbit nonetheless: 

"Still, though, sources say the Raiders aren't really considering drafting Manziel or Bortles at No. 5."

Of course, it's not really surprising. The Silver and Black went out and got Matt Schaub in the offseason, and they have more pressing needs. Still, some people (here and here) are still projecting a quarterback to Oakland at No. 5, and Tafur's sources give proof to put those theories to rest. 

The Raiders would much rather see someone like Khalil Mack and Sammy Watkins fall to them, and as Rotoworld's Evan Silva noted, a trade is also a possibility: 

Is Schaub the future in Oakland? Probably not, but it seems safe to assume Reggie McKenzie doesn't plan on using a premium pick this year to find his eventual replacement.

Minnesota Vikings Beefing Up Defensive Line at No. 8? 

The Vikes are another team that could potentially go quarterback with their first pick (think the signal-callers are going to shape this year's draft?), but Sports Illustrated's Peter King has heard differently: 

"

The Vikings are more inclined than ever to get their quarterback out of a bottlenecked group of passers at No. 40 in the second round. Vikes want a front-seven disruptor—defensive tackle Aaron Donald comes to mind—more than anything else up here.

"

It will be intriguing to see if Donald, who has seen his stock skyrocket over the last month, lasts until No. 8, but NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah is hearing buzz that echoes King's statement:

Even though the Vikings took Sharrif Floyd at No. 23 in last year's draft, the rumored flirtation is not surprising. 

New head coach Mike Zimmer has had the pleasure of working with Geno Atkins (6'1", 303 pounds) for the last four years, and Donald (6'1", 285 pounds) boasts nearly the same frame as the two-time All-Pro. 

And plays like this, via Bleacher Report's Ryan Lownes, aren't exactly going to quell the interest, either: 

Minnesota is a quarterback away from boasting a truly scary offense, but with so many other playmakers available, it doesn't sound like GM Rick Spielman will jump the gun on finding one.