Welcome to silly season, ladies and gentlemen.
With the draft just three weeks away, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport has sifted through the white noise to bring us the following juicy morsels:
» Let's start in Detroit, where the Lions loom as candidates to trade into the top five for one of the draft's top prospects, Rapoport said.
One potential target? Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who staged a pre-draft visit with the team Tuesday. Vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. and Lions receivers Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate were on hand to greet the young pass-catcher, who figures to be long gone if Detroit stays at No. 10. With the Lions also linked to Texas A&M's Mike Evans, this front office appears hell-bent on adding a top-flight receiver to the mix come May.
However, Detroit also hosted pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney on Wednesday, a visit that makes little sense unless the Lions are preparing for a major move up.
» We all know the Jaguars and Browns are game to pick a new quarterback, but who might surprise us? Rapoport named Tampa Bay as one team prepared to dial up a signal-caller at No. 7 after the Buccaneers spent the pre-draft process hosting a laundry list of top prospects at the position.
Rapoport also cited Arizona as a candidate to pick an heir apparent to Carson Palmer at No. 20. That aligns with the latest mock draft from NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah, who projects the Cardinals to select Fresno State's Derek Carr.
The latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast" covers the Aldon Smith arrest and analyzes the offseason movers and shakers in the NFC East and NFC South.
