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Rick Spielman says trade talk is starting to “heat up”

Draft Vikings Football

Rick Spielman, vice president of player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings, heads to the podium during a news conference about the upcoming NFL football draft, Tuesday, April 26, 2011, in Eden Prairie, Minn. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Jerry Holt) ST. PAUL OUT MINNEAPOLIS-AREA TV OUT MAGS OUT

AP

Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman has made no secret of his willingness to trade the third overall pick if the right offer comes through the door this month and that isn’t changing with the draft a little more than 48 hours away from starting.

Spielman said at a press conference Tuesday that it would take an offer “almost too good to be true” to get the Vikings to surrender the pick before draft night. According to Spielman, teams around the league are dipping their toes in the water to see if they can make such an offer.

“That front has really heated up over the last 24 hours,” Spielman said, via Dan Wiederer of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “And I’m sure it will continue to heat up as we head for Thursday night.”

It stands to reason that Spielman would like to see things heat up more between now and the third pick on Thursday night. While the Vikings have said they are considering three players with the third pick -- USC tackle Matt Kalil, LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon -- they could also have their eyes on other players a bit further down the board that they’d be happy to pick while also gaining more picks in this or future years.