It’s become public knowledge that Mike Holmgren thinks very highly of quarterback Sam Bradford. How high is he on Bradford? According to ESPN.com, Holmgren is willing to part with most of his 2010 picks and even a pick or two next year in order to move up to the No. 1 spot to take Bradford.

Holmgren declined to delve into specifics as far as his offer to the Rams, but indicated he would be willing to part with most — but likely not all — of the Browns’ 10 picks and perhaps a pick or picks next year for the consensus No. 1 quarterback in this year’s draft. Holmgren, however, is not optimistic that the Rams will pull the trigger on a trade. “They shouldn’t do it,” he said. “They need a quarterback more than anyone in the world.”

Holmgren said the Browns already have had three or four conversations with the Rams regarding the top pick. With St. Louis being somewhat coy about its intentions, and with no contract in place with Bradford, Holmgren will make one last run at Bradford.

“It’s not going to happen,” Holmgren said. “I just got out of a meeting and I told everyone, let [the board] come to us. That said, I’m going to go make the call.”

It’s amazing that Holmgen would share that kind of information just hours before the draft, but he must know that there’s no way the Rams are parting with the pick and therefore, it doesn’t matter what he says. Plus, if he lets the world know that he wants a quarterback, maybe another team will want to trade up to Cleveland’s spot at No. 7 in order to take Jimmy Clausen.

Things are starting to get interesting as we head into the first round.

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Let’s kick this NFL draft day off with a juicy rumor, shall we?

According to NFL.Fanhouse.com, the Redskins are still in discussions with the Rams about a trade up to the No. 1 overall spot. Per the article, Washington has its sights set on quarterback Sam Bradford.

After trading for Donovan McNabb on Easter Sunday, everyone crossed off quarterback from the Redskins’ draft wish list. But since they’ve been unable to extend McNabb’s contract thus far, there’s growing sentiment that Washington will still take a quarterback so Mike Shanahan can groom him for the 2011 season.

The idea makes sense on the surface, but why would the Redskins trade for McNabb and then immediately cause a controversy by taking a quarterback in the first round? I’m sure their intentions have always been to extend McNabb’s contract and they’re not going to have success doing that if they draft his replacement less than a month after acquiring him from Philadelphia. It just doesn’t make sense.

The more likely scenario would be that the Redskins stay at No. 4 and take an offensive tackle like Russell Okung or Trent Williams. Then they can continue to work on McNabb’s contract extension throughout the next couple of months.

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Oh, the rumor mill is churning now that the NFL scouting combine has kicked off.

In the wake of Adam Schefter’s prediction that the Rams are set to take quarterback Sam Bradford with the No. 1 pick, ESPN.com is reporting that the Redskins may want to trade up to the top spot so that they could nab the Oklahoma product.

With word that the Rams might be taking Sam Bradford No. 1 overall this April, the other team that thinks quite highly of him risks missing out. We’ve been hearing for a while now that the Redskins value Bradford as a potential franchise QB, and he would not get past their spot in the first round.

Speaking to the press at the draft combine, Rams GM Billy Devaney indicated that the team was still weighing the merits of Ndamukong Suh vs. Gerald McCoy, as well as Bradford vs. Jimmy Clausen. In order for the Redskins to ensure that they could get Bradford — and all indications seem to indicate that they value him ahead of Clausen — they might need to trade up to that No. 1 slot. Bradford’s price tag as the No. 1 overall pick might not be an issue for perennial big spender Daniel Snyder, especially if Mike Shanahan sells him on Bradford as a legit stud.

If the Rams have Clausen rated ahead of Bradford, this makes sense. But if they don’t, then there’s no way St. Louis is going to pass on a franchise quarterback that they like in order to take a franchise quarterback that they kind of like. The Rams hold the cards here – not the Redskins.

That said, if the Rams have Bradford and Clausen rated similarly, then it makes sense that St. Louis would want to trade down to acquire more picks and still have a shot to take a franchise quarterback at No 4 (which is where the Redskins pick).

It’s way to early to tell what intentions the Rams have with the top pick, but I love that the NFL draft rumor train is now picking up steam.

In other Redskins-related news, Mike Shanahan indicated on Friday that Clinton Portis will be his running back in 2010, despite rumors that the team would like to rid themselves of the 28-year-old back.

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter told a St. Louis radio station that the Rams will select quarterback Sam Bradford with the No. 1 overall pick this year. The caveat is that Schefter wasn’t reporting the news, but merely making a prediction.

Schefter is always good for information around this time of year, so I wouldn’t doubt it if the Rams did take Bradford No. 1. After all, they do need a quarterback and if Steve Spagnuolo and his staff feel as though the Oklahoma product is a franchise-type signal caller, then it will be hard for them to pass.

Schefter also noted that St. Louis is reluctant to pay No. 1 money to a defensive player such as Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh or Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy. Of all the Rams’ many needs, defensive tackle isn’t necessarily a high priority so it makes sense that the Rams would pass on Suh and McCoy and take Bradford or Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen.

That said, GM Billy Devaney is familiar with former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick from their days in Atlanta. It’s not a stretch to believe that Devaney will send a draft pick to Philadelphia for Vick and then take Suh or McCoy with the No. 1 pick, seeing as how those two players are the best on the board. Drafting in the top 5 is a different animal, as teams usually throw out the word “need” and just try to acquire talent to restock their roster.

We’ll see if Schefter called this one come April, but as of right now there’s still a lot of mystery and intrigue involving the No. 1 pick.

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