I think that there are several B-47 airframes that would make excellent candidates for a complete and dedicated restoration to flight, given immense amounts of money and time. The example at Castle comes immediately to mind, as the last flyer. That being said, I think that the limiting factor is obviously the NMUSAF's determination that one will not fly. I seriously doubt that if a group came with major funding already in place, technical support in place, and a reasonable plan of action, that the NMUSAF would release one of the static airframes to that group for restoration to flight.
Additionally, NMUSAF is doing a nice job of quietly eliminating candidates in conjunction with Worldwide Aircraft Recovery of Nebraska. While they have done a great job of moving many historic and significant aircraft (most notably the entire SAC collection) they have performed an "engineered splice" (their term for cutting the wing in two) so that they can easily move B-47s on standard highways. The example on display at Wright-Patterson, while externally a beautiful example, has suffered this fate. While it was never going to be flown again anyway, it is a real shame that such an aircraft should have its back broken. See the pics below for the "splice." I think that such a move justifies RickH's characterization of the NMUSAF example as "stuffed." I would love to see a B-47 in the air, and would pay my $20 to an airshow to see it. Unfortunately, I think that it is never to be.
