The Lions are in the market for starters at both guard positions and there doesn't appear to be much help in the draft – at least not in the traditional sense.

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, on a conference call today, said “the guard group” in this year's draft “is poor in comparison to the last few years,” but a strong center class could provide several starters at the interior line positions.

“I like the centers in this year's draft, I'm not as sold on the guards,” Mayock said. “The whole key to being an interior offensive linemen is being able to play all three of those positions and the centers this year, Max Unger, Eric Wood, Alex Mack, those top three centers I believe can play all three of those positions and Unger and Wood might even be able to play right tackle. The more you can do from a diversified perspective as an interior offensive linemen the more value you have and Unger, Wood and Mack all fit into that play-all-three-positions mold.”

The Lions released left guard Edwin Mulitalo on Monday, and right guard Stephen Peterman is slated to become a free agent later this month. Manny Ramirez, a little-used fourth-round pick in 2007, and Junius Coston, who was signed late last year and did not see game action, are the only guards on the roster.

Unger, Wood and Mack are potential targets should the Lions consider drafting an interior lineman in the second or third rounds. All three stand at least 6-foot-3 and weigh more than 300 pounds, and would seem to fit the organization's desire to get bigger and more physical up front. Lions president Tom Lewand indicated at a town-hall meeting last month the team would like to sign center Dominic Raiola to an extension. Raiola will be a free agent in 2010. Drafting Unger, Wood or Mack would provide insurance if that doesn't happen.

Mayock ranks Oregon State's Andy Levitre and Oklahoma's Duke Robinson as the top-rated pure guards.

Other notes

• Asked to project the top three picks in the draft as of today, Mayock guessed the Lions would take Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford first overall. “If I'm building a franchise the first thing I'd do is underwrite the quarterback position,” he said. He has Baylor tackle Jason Smith going No. 2 to St. Louis and Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry at No. 3 to Kansas City.

• According to a Rivals.com report, the Lions have hired Tim Lappano, the former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Washington, as their tight-ends coach. Lappano was an assistant coach for three seasons at Idaho (1983-85) when new Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan played for the Vandals.