I have heard whispers that the Pats were at least thinking about looking at TE Chris Cooley from Washington. From my perspective, that one has some degree of authenticity (but should be filed under speculation and still a long way from going farther than anything other than internal talk). So I would say on a scale of 1 to 10, that one gets a 4, maybe a 5.The other one (which I would throw in the wildy speculative, no confirmation, and no more than idle gossip bin) would be the Pats making a play for WR Steve Smith (the Panthers model, not the Giants). I think this one is more of a "wouldn't it be nice if they could pry him away from Carolina" thing than anything based in reality. So on a scale of 1 to 10, this one gets a 1.5 or a 2.The Pats often pull things off seemingly from left field, so anything is possible with them. I think a lot of what they have potentially brewing may hinge upon who is available at what points in the draft . . . so if the guy they want is there they will draft him, if not they may trade that pick. Similarly, if the guy someone else really wants is there, then they may have trading partners already lined up. I believe NE has a very short list of guys they really want, so if the few guys they have their eye on go by they are open to pretty much anything.I also think the Pats will be more active in the free agent market after the draft . . . but the logical question is who else is out there that could really make much impact?