The NFL draft rumor mill is working as hard as the league's and players' lawyers today. What part of the data deluge has any real substance to it, or possibility behind it, remains to be seen. One draft rumor that has resurfaced and is of note for the St. Louis Rams is talk of the New England Patriots moving up into the top ten picks. One of their potential targets: Alabama WR Julio Jones.
Reports out today claim that the Patriots front office has talked to Mike Holmgren and his people in Cleveland about the possibility of moving up to sixth overall. New England, naturally, has the picks to do it. Besides Jones, potential targets include Patrick Peterson and Robert Quinn.
Another potential suitor for Jones, Washington, has been the subject of trade rumors as well. The speculation is that they'd like to move up in order to pick Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert. However, Mike Shanahan acknowledged that such a move is unlikely. You can also put Washington on the list of teams that would like to trade down, less unlikely than trading up, I suppose.
As for the Rams trading, down seems the most likely direction. Trading down would allow them to think about Corey Liuget after the 14th spot or even offensive players like Kyle Rudolph or Mark Ingram. Trading up for Julio Jones would almost certainly include a third round pick, a steep price for the Rams to pay.
Another potential trade for the Rams to keep an eye on is the possibility of moving up in the second round, if a player they want is available. Moving up in the second frame is a cheaper option than moving up in the first.