Lions general manager Martin Mayhew opened his draft-preview press conference Tuesday by declaring, “I hope nobody's expecting anything earth-shattering.”

True to form, the diligent and tight-lipped Mayhew shed no real light on who the Lions will take with the No. 1 pick, though he did say there's a “very good” chance a deal will be done by Saturday.

“That was our plan,” Mayhew said. “We talked about that back at the combine. That's very important, and we talked about getting something done prior to making that selection.”

The agents for Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford, Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith and Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry were in town over the weekend to begin preliminary contract talks. Mayhew wouldn't acknowledge who or how many players are still in the mix to go No. 1 other than to say “it has narrowed down pretty dramatically.”

He also heaped praise on Scott McEwen, the Lions' director of college scouting, for being “a tremendous evaluator,” said there's been “moderate interest” in trading for the No. 1 pick, and admitted  “there'll be a number of holes after this draft that still (will) have to be addressed.”

“I'm looking forward to it,” Mayhew said. “To me, it's kind of like when you have a test. If you study for the test and you're prepared, you feel good when you go in, and I feel good going in. I feel comfortable with our work so far, I feel comfortable with our scouts work and we'll keep finishing off the research this week and I feel really good about Saturday and Sunday.”