Throw this out for debate...
a 10:15pm posting to the Star's site has a big deal on Pioli and an interview he sat down for talking about building the team and what not....
Now, I know he just came from NE, so maybe it's coincidence, but of all the numbers he could have chosen, he chose the 23rd pick for this answer? Smells like fish, Cassel or Larry maybe...weird. Might be nothing....
“Even though we’re three, we could be at 23,” Pioli said Saturday at the NFL scouting combine. “Even though you’re at 23, you could be at three. The draft strategy is know the entire board, know all the players, know there might be opportunities to manipulate the draft board, moving up or down, and gain draft picks or give away draft picks to get veteran players. … The whole thing is very fluid.
“Draft day is opportunity. Anything we can do to make the team better right now or in the future. … Sometimes what you’re doing to make your team better can be trading for picks in the future. You’re collecting players, you’re collecting picks, you’re collecting methods and ways to accumulate good players.”