Five things learned about the Lions and the upcoming draft from general manager Martin Mayhew on Thursday:

1. Mayhew said that running back Jahvid Best (concussion) has been doing conditioning and working out with the other players this week. That doesn’t mean he’s been cleared to practice, but it’s a step.

2. With the 23rd draft pick, Mayhew said there are between four and seven guys they feel comfortable with and who would be “great fits.”

3. Mayhew’s draft strategy remains the same: “It’s the best player for us, the player that fits us the best that’s the guy we’re looking to take.’’

4. The Lions have just two quarterbacks signed. Drew Stanton signed as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts. Mayhew said if it makes sense they could draft a quarterback in the later rounds, but it won’t happen in the first round. If they don’t draft one, they’ll pick up another quarterback as a free agent.

5. Mayhew said there hasn’t been much trade talk about their first-round pick at No. 23.

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Five reasons not to be worried that the Lions got a slow start on first day of free agency:

1. Martin Mayhew has a good track record in free agency, so he must be trusted.

2. Last year he signed MLB Stephen Tulloch and CB Eric Wright late in free agency and that seemed to work out just fine.

3. Mayhew had warned that the Lions would not be making a big splash in free agency with some of the high-profile players. He wasn’t kidding. He’s looking for more value for his dollar.

4. Not a lot of cap space to work with now. That could change with an extension for Calvin Johnson whose cap hit for 2012 is $22 million. That would change with a new deal.

5. The Lions emphasize that the roster is always a work in progress. It’s not done after free agency or the draft, Mayhew tweaks it throughout the season. It’s early.

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What’s tougher turning an NFL roster upside down or just fine-tuning it?

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew expects it to be the latter.

Remember this is the guy who took the job on an interim basis early during the 0-16 season in 2008. He’s been to the depths and responded well through the draft, trades and free agency.

Now it’s a different beast. He’s built a 10-6 team that made it to the playoffs, but knows there’s plenty of work to do. He has key players to re-sign, free agents to explore and a draft to prepare for.

“We took a big step obviously, when you look at the six teams in the NFC (playoffs) we lost to four of them. We’ve got some work to do to get to take the next step, but it was a big step for us this year,’’ Mayhew said. “I was impressed with the effort of our players, I thought our coaches did a great job coaching those guys.

“I thought it was good to get in the playoffs, it was good experience for us even though we didn’t go beyond that first week. I think that experience being in that game this year is going to help us next year be even better,’’ Mayhew added.

Perhaps the Lions can take something else into next season. When it was all said and done, the Lions finished with the same playoff record as the Packers at 0-1.

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ALLEN PARK — Since Lions general manager Martin Mayhew is media-shy, today (Thursday) was the first time the Lions beat writers had a chance to ask him about the handshake incident between Jim Schwartz and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh following the Oct. 16 game.

He was not asked about blowing off a handshake with Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli at the Ford Field elevators following the Lions’ win over the Chiefs on Sept. 18. But Mayhew brought it up anyway.

“As an organization we haven’t really mastered that whole post-game handshake thing,’’ Mayhew said.

“We’re still working on that. We’ll get that right next year ... Maybe we’ll do some drills on that,’’ he added.

Too bad Mayhew only talks to the media three or four times a season. He’s insightful and can be extremely witty. He just doesn’t seem to like the spotlight.

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Three reasons the Lions are on the right track to building a winning team.

1. First the Big Three — coach Jim Schwartz, general manager Martin Mayhew and President Tom Lewand — are all on the same page. They share the same philosophy and will not waiver from it.

2. Good, young solid pieces are already in place — QB Matthew Stafford, WR Calvin Johnson, RB Jahvid Best, DT Ndamukong Suh, DT Nick Fairley and MLB DeAndre Levy to name a few.

3. Mayhew has proven to be a quiet but effective general manager. Last year he came through with two big free agent signings — Kyle Vanden Bosch and Nate Burleson. Then Mayhew made some trades to get other key guys like DT Corey Williams, DT Rob Sims, QB Shaun Hill and others.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche. Will offer daily lists of threes through July 22. Tell your friends. Let me know if you agree or not.)

Three things you won’t see in Lions’ training camp:

1. Animosity between players, coaches and management following the NFL’s lockout of the players. Word from all sides is that they are all in this together to put together a winning team. Didn’t hear one nasty word from players during their workouts. In fact the way many of them see it, the coaches have been caught in the middle.

2. Work without a purpose. In their spare time — and they’ve had plenty of it — you know the coaching staff has revised, then re-revised their plans for a training camp that follows a locked-out offseason devoid of OTAs or minicamps. They’ll get the best out of the players without over-working them.

3. You won’t see everyone who will be on the roster at the end of the season. GM Martin Mayhew never quits, he’s looks to improve the roster all through the season. A few examples from last year: LB Bobby Carpenter, K Dave Rayner and CB Nathan Vasher.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche. Will offer daily lists of threes through July 22. Tell your friends. Let me know if you agree or not.)

ALLEN PARK — The thing about the NFL draft is no one will know whether the Lions — or any team — was successful until a few years out.

While the Lions have glaring holes at cornerback and outside linebacker, in the second round on Friday night they went with WR Titus Young (Boise State) and moved up in the second round to grab RB Mikel Leshoure.

Let the second-guessing begin.

This should not be a surprise to anyone who has listed to general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz.

“The draft is not the finish line for us as far as our personnel department. We have a lot of work to do, we have a lot of areas we can definitely improve, we’ll continue to work those things,’’ Mayhew said on Friday night.

Look at just which cornerback or outside linebacker was available in the second round and you will not be impressed. The Lions want to get the most for their money so they filled other needs with players who were rated high on their draft board.

“There’s a lot of time between now and the season begins to worry about our needs, let’s worry right now about talent, let’s worry about what works for us, let’s draft to our strengths,’’ Schwartz said.

The Lions have been consistent in this strategy. It’s too early to know if it will be a success. But the past two drafts operated by Mayhew and Schwartz have yielded good results.

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Jimmy Smith flashes an Isiah Thomas like smile. The cornerback from Colorado oozes personality, but he carries off-field baggage and was well coached on what to say at the NFL Combine.

Smith, who is projected as a first-round pick in the NFL draft, reportedly (per Mlive.com) is meeting with the Lions today. He is one of 30 potential draftees they are allowed to bring to Detroit to get to know better.

Smiles and charisma are one thing, but expect Lions general manager Martin Mayhew to dig deep. Smith had some problems with the law -- involving drugs and alcohol -- early in his career at Colorado.

He explained it this way at the NFL Combine: “I got an MIP (minor in possession of alcohol) my true freshman year at training camp. I walked outside with a red cup that had nothing in it and you can't have a red cup in Boulder so I got caught for that. It was lack of judgment.’’

He didn’t dodge questions about his past at the Combine, he was prepared on how to handle the situation.

“Just going in that room and being honest, that’s all I can control. Like I said I went to college and I made some mistakes, but all of them were freshman and sophomore year, actually my redshirt freshman year, so two freshman years,’’ Smith said.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. projects Smith as a late first-round pick. He has him rated as the third best cornerback in the draft after Patrick Peterson (LSU) and Prince Amukamara (Nebraska).

The Lions need a cornerback, but when they pick at No. 13 Peterson and Amukamara are expected to be gone. Kiper said Smith would be a reach at the 13th spot.

But if Mayhew, a former NFL cornerback, likes him then perhaps that could change. Smith is 6-2, 211 pounds, a good-sized corner.

“I have long arms so I don't have to be all the way in the hip pocket of the receiver. Sometimes I think the quarterback has to place the ball perfectly or I can get my hand in there,’’ Smith said.

The NFL draft is April 28-30, no matter what happens with the current negotiations.

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The Lions proved that defensive end Cliff Avril will play a role in their future plans by tendering him at the first- and third-round levels. Avril confirmed the action through his Twitter account.

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has said he planned to tender a number of potential free agents.

Avril, 24, is a restricted free agent. After the NFLPA collective bargaining agreement is resolved, he could sign an offer sheet with any team. If the Lions didn’t match the offer, they would receive that team's first- and third-round draft picks.

Avril tweeted, “Looks like I'll be in the D one more year atlease.... Yall kno I love the D.’’ (@CliffAvril)

Avril, who played at Purdue, played and started in 13 games last season, finishing with 8.5 sacks and 33 tackles. He has 19 sacks in his three NFL seasons.

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INDIANAPOLIS -- For the Lions and other NFL teams the NFL Combine is a huge step towards determining draft boards -- players they like, others they have no interest in.

After four days at the Combine, here are five things we’ve learned about the Lions and the draft.

1. This year’s draft is weighted heavily defensively and that includes a good cornerback class. Some experts say there’s a drop-off after the top two -- Patrick Peterson (LS) and Prince Amukamara (Nebraska). While others think Brandon Harris (Miami) and Jimmy Smith (Colorado) could also be drafted in the first round.

Amukamara seems a possibility for the Lions with their 13th overall pick if he’s not gone already. He’s just waiting to show that he’s not a slow guy when he runs his 40-yard dash at the Combine on Tuesday.

The former teammate of Ndamukong Suh has no off-field issues and said one of his strengths is his competitiveness which happens to be one of the top items on the list for Lions general manager Martin Mayhew,

2. Mayhew has said he will take the best available player with the 13th overall pick, within reason.

Count on this the Lions will not draft a quarterback with that pick of any of their other four picks.

“I’m putting all my eggs in the Matt Stafford, Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton basket on that. To be honest with you, I haven’t evaluated a lot of these quarterbacks. When we interview our 60 guys (at the Combine), we won’t interview a single quarterback,’’ Mayhew said.

Quarterback Cam Newton of Auburn was the talk of the draft. Everyone knows his physical ability and he proved it with his Combine workouts including a broad jump of 10-feet-6 inches. Still there are questions whether he can make the transformation to a pro-style offense.

3. Drafting an offensive tackle is a possibility for the Lions even though Mayhew likes what he has with young developmental tackles in Jason Fox and Corey Hilliard. “We have a lot of needs. We’ll take the best player available. I wouldn’t say we wouldn’t take a tackle because we have Jason Fox and Corey Hilliard,’’ Mayhew said.

4. The Lions planned to interview 60 players at the Combine and bring another 30 to Allen Park for physicals and interviews. They are nowhere close to deciding who they will take with the 13th pick or later rounds either. That’s why Mayhew laughs when he peruses mock drafts.

Mayhew said after the Combine last year they still had not made a decision on whether they would draft Ndamukong Suh with the second overall pick because they had too much homework to do with other players.

5. The Lions won’t be looking at kickers either. Mayhew said they had decided on whether or not they want to keep Dave Rayner, who filled in last season after Jason Hanson injured his kicking knee. But he didn’t say what the decision was.

Hanson is still under contract and is rehabilitating his knee.

“I think the big thing in that whole discussion is where Jason Hanson is physically. I think, right now, we don’t have an answer for that. But by the time we get to this summer, we’ll know exactly where he is and how he’s feeling and what he’s able to do and what he’s not able to do,’’ Mayhew said. “We’ve got a good evaluation on both of those guys and see how it all plays out.’’

Hanson, who is 40 and has 19 seasons with the Lions, has been injured in training camp the past two seasons.

“We take everything into consideration. His age is a factor, more so, I think, than his health each season. He’s getting old, he’s getting older. That’s one where we have a lot of time to make a decision on,’’ Mayhew said.

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said he takes the blame for the tampering charges that were issued against the team by the NFL a week ago.

“As far as the tampering case just like anything else you win some, you lose some. As of right now we lost that one. I take the blame for that, it’s my fault.

The way I feel about it, when that kind of thing happens what you have to go back and re-evaluate what you did, what you didn’t do, things you can do differently then you move on,’’ Mayhew said on Friday morning.

He said there are too many positives going on with the team right now to concentrate on the negatives.

Mayhew said they have until Monday to decide whether to appeal the charges.

The charges were filed by the Kansas City Chiefs in December and are believed to involve Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham and safety Jarrad Page, but that has not been confirmed.

Mayhew made a statement on the tampering, but would not answer questions about it.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche. Come back throughout today and the weekend for updates from the NFL Combine.)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Lions general manager Martin Mayhew would not answer any questions regarding the “L word” during a breakfast meeting with beat writers today (Friday).

Here’s what he had to say about the potential NFL lockout: “There will be football this fall, we will play when there is football. Up until then and into that process we’ll just rely on the league’s direction. ...’’

Mayhew did confirm a report that in the event of a lockout teams will be able to keep in touch with injured players through their rehab process.

“We’ll be able to monitor their rehabs, I’ll leave at it. They won’t be out there on their own with us having no clue of where they are physically,’’ Mayhew said. “We’ll be able to be in touch with people be in contact about their rehabs.’’

Several Lions are in rehab including quarterback Matthew Stafford, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch.

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Outside linebacker is considered a position of need for the Detroit Lions who will release Julian Peterson and are unsure if Zack Follett will return following his spinal injury last season.

However, Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said this morning (Friday) that Bobby Carpenter and Ashlee Palmer will compete this season to start at outside linebacker.

Carpenter joined the Lions midway through last season when the linebacking corps was depleted by injury.

“Guys like Bobby Carpenter, Ashlee Palmer, John Wendling, down the stretch those guys made a huge impact for us. I thought Bobby did an outstanding job, he came in, he learned our system, he knew all the spots, he knew all the special teams stuff and he made plays for us on the field,’’ Mayhew said. “He made a couple big plays on the passing game on third downs for us, we were happy with his performance we thought he did a good job.

“I see him certainly as a guy who competes for a starting job at outside linebacker for us, I see Ashlee the same way. Both those guys have played well enough and there’s enough good tape ofd those guys playing in our system to say those guys can be starters,’’ Mayhew added.

Palmer got off to a slow start last season, his first with the Lions. But improved as the season went on and his playing time increased due to injuries.

“Coming from Buffalo last year, having to learn a new system, (Palmer) is still a young player, so I think it was sort of picking up our scheme, knowing his job, performing at a consistent level,’’ Mayhew said. “He was also playing a lot of special teams and defense at the same time. That’s always tough for a young player. He had a good season for us though, for a young guy, and his arrow is still going up.’’

Follett is still a question mark. He continues rehab. Mayhew said they are taking “a wait and see approach” and it’s out of their hands. It will be more a decision for Follett and he has not made it yet.

Immediately after the season, Mayhew said Peterson would not be with the team this coming season. He reiterated that on Friday, but said Peterson has yet to be released.

(Check back this afternoon for more from Mayhew’s breakfast on Friday morning with the Lions beat writers. Also check out a live chat from the Combine at noon on TheOaklandPress.com. Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

Next week the wonder that is the NFL Combine gets going in Indianapolis. Look for several blog reports and tweets daily from Lucas Oil Stadium from me from Feb. 24-27.

It will give us a chance to get to know the guys who are possibilities for the Lions with the 13th pick in the first round, and a host of others. It’s a gold mine for information and can’t come soon enough.

Will also get a chance to talk to Lions coach Jim Schwartz and general manager Martin Mayhew at length about the Combine and free agency (if there is not a lockout.)

These are definitely the dog days of the NFL season. But the coming weeks should be quite interesting between the Combine, free agency and the impending lockout.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

With a potential lockout of NFL players looming, this could be anything but a normal season for NFL general managers.

Lions GM Martin Mayhew is preparing for every scenario. This isn’t surprising if you’ve seen him operate the last two seasons.

Questions linger about salary cap and how many seasons it will take to become a free agent. That’s just the beginning.

Mayhew won’t comment on specifics regarding a possible lockout, but talked about preparation just in case.

“What it means is we have to prepare for every eventuality and for every scenario. It means do more work in terms of preparation, and we’re fine with that, we’re doing that,’’ Mayhew said.

“We’re prepared for whatever the system is, we plan on being ready for it and being able to implement a strategy for it. It’s a little more work for us be we’re up to the task,’’ he added.

For more on the potential lockout and Lions’ reaction to it, see story and video at TheOaklandPress.com. (Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

The Seahawks shocked many NFL fans by knocking off the New Orleans Saints, the Super Bowl defending champions, over the weekend.

It’s even more surprising when you consider the talent they have shipped or lost to Detroit in the last two seasons.

When left guard Rob Sims was traded to Detroit from Seattle in the offseason he marveled at how thrilled he was to get back to football country. After all, in Seattle all they do is drink coffee. OK, drink coffee and win wild card playoff games.

Sims is one of seven Lions on the roster who came to Detroit either in a trade or signed with the Lions as a free agent out of Seattle in the past two years.

Along with Sims, they include: WR Nate Burleson (free agent 2010), RB Maurice Morris (free agent 2009), TE Will Heller (free agent 2009), DE Lawrence Jackson (trade 2010), LB Julian Peterson (traded 2009) and QB Zac Robinson who was picked up off waivers in November to provide backup for the Lions’ injured quarterbacks.

It’s quite a connection.

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew traces it back to Tim Ruskell, the Seahawks general manager who resigned toward the end of the 2009 season and is now the Bears’ director of player personnel.

Ruskell and Mayhew had worked together in Tampa.

“We liked the same kind of players,’’ Mayhew said.

No doubt.

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One of Martin Mayhew’s best offseason moves prior to the 2010 season was making a trade with the Falcons for cornerback Chris Houston. All the Lions general manager had to give up was a sixth-round pick and a conditional seventh-round pick.

Perhaps it was his bargain of the year.

Now he wants to re-sign the 26-year-old Houston who will be entering his fifth season in the NFL. Because a new collective bargaining agreement has not been reached which means a possible lockout, re-signing Houston is a little more complicated than it would be in a normal offseason

Houston started 15 games and finished with 56 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. He could not play in the final game after injuring his shoulder in Miami on Dec. 26 and will undergo shoulder surgery in the offseason.

“Chris did a great job for us, he’s a great pickup, He’s sort of like Drew (Stanton) in terms of we don’t know what his contract status is, whether we have the ability to tender him or not,’’ Mayhew said. “We’re preparing to tender him or deal with him and make him an offer. That’s a guy we definitely want back.’’

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After finishing with a four-game win streak and a 6-10 season, are the Lions over the hump? Have they turned the corner? There is some debate about that.

General manager Martin Mayhew has weighed in with his perspective. He doesn’t know what the key was to the turn-around or he would have fixed it two years ago, but he likes the results.

“I just think it’s the kind of thing, when you build that kind of momentum as a team, winning momentum like the Steelers have and the Patriots have, they know how to win football games,’’ Mayhew said. “And you can build losing momentum the same way. And we had built that up over a long period of time and I think we finally broke free of that.’’

So that would be a yes. No more hump talk, at least for now.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

Since mid-August, the Lions have acquired three players who were first- or second-round draft picks in recent years. Each needed a fresh start.

If there’s a need, general manager Martin Mayhew is on the case. All three additions have come on defense which is certainly no surprise.

Cornerback Alphonso Smith, a second-round pick in 2009 (37th overall) came to Detroit in a trade that sent tight end Dan Gronkowski to the Broncos on Sept. 4.

Defensive end Lawrence Jackson, a former 2008 first-round pick by Seattle (28th overall, out of USC), arrived Aug. 18 after the Lions traded a sixth-round pick in 2011 to the Seahawks.

Just last week the Lions signed linebacker Bobby Carpenter, a first-round pick by Dallas in 2006 (18th overall out of Ohio State), who was cut by the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday.

In the offseason coach Jim Schwartz repeatedly said that the roster was not written in stone. That the Lions could still sign a player who would be a game-changer.

Will one of these three be the guy?

First, it’s too early to tell on Carpenter. His first practice with the Lions was Thursday. With the shortage at linebacker due to injuries, he could be thrown into action next Sunday against the Washington Redskins. He’s got experience inside and outside which made him more attractive because the Lions are short at both.

We’ll give Jackson an incomplete. He was slowed down from the get-go when he arrived with a hamstring injury. He’s seen some game action, but it’s too early to see what an impact he could make.

The winning grade so far goes to Alphonso Smith who played so well at nickel back that it was difficult to keep him off the field. He had an interception in three straight games and has started the last two games. Last year at Denver he played in 15 games with zero interceptions.

Schwartz likes him because he has a nose for the ball. While at Wake Forest he became the ACC’s all-time leader in career interceptions with 21. Some things don’t change, despite the move from college to the pros. (Perhaps it was the thin air in Denver or the system.)

Smith is looking more and more like a quite a pickup. Could he be a game-changer?

Absolutely.

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Since the day after the 2009 season when the Lions signed Jonathan Hefney, the effort has been continual to upgrade the roster.

Martin Mayhew has trashed the 2009 defense. The only defensive back from 2009 still on the roster is Louis Delmas. That includes backups. .

The defensive line has been made over and there’s a new starting linebacker in Zack Follett.

At the same time, he’s added value to the offense with Jahvid Best, Nate Burleson, Tony Scheffler and Rob Sims

Mayhew had a great answer when asked what more the Lions need: “Wins, to win some games, to win more than anything else. Our guys have to start playing together, trusting each other and learning how to win football games.’

It’s pretty simple. Mayhew has done his part -- although don’t believe for a second that this 53-man roster is set in stone. Now he needs the players to step up starting on Sunday with the opener in Chicago.

This Lions team just vaguely resembles the team that lost twice to the Bears last season. However, thanks mostly to injuries, they haven’t practiced all that much together, especially on the linebackers and the defensive backs. The offense has been revamped too, but they have been healthier throughout training camp and the offseason.

“We expect to be very competitive in every game, every time we line up we expect to compete and match up which has been a problem in the past,’’ Mayhew said.

The Lions ,6-point underdogs, could make a huge statement with a win at Soldier Field. Also, they could start developing a confidence that comes from playing together and winning.

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