Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford was doing an interview Tuesday on WJR-AM (760) when Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom asked him what kind of car he drives.

"I've got a Chevy Tahoe, my old Chevy Tahoe that I've had for a long time," Stafford said. "So I'm probably going to have to trade that one out for a Ford if I go to Detroit."

The suspense should end soon. General manager Martin Mayhew said Tuesday the Lions are "moving forward on getting something done" and there is a "very good" chance they will sign the No. 1 pick before the draft starts Saturday.

Asked for his reaction to Mayhew's comments, Stafford said: "That'd be exciting. It'd be great. It's something I know they said they wanted to do from the start, and hopefully with whoever they're talking to they can get it done. It would be great to know obviously if you're going to be the No. 1 pick."

Many analysts expect the Lions to take Stafford.

"I'll be surprised if Detroit goes in any other direction besides Stafford," ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said Tuesday in a media conference call. "I think they've honed in on him."

But the Lions are also talking to Baylor left tackle Jason Smith and Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. And Curry told Sirius NFL Radio on Tuesday he would accept less money than Michigan left tackle Jake Long did last year from Miami to be the No. 1 pick.

"I'd be more than happy to accept that deal," Curry said.

Stafford is much more likely than Smith or Curry to sit as a rookie, because he is a quarterback and the Lions have Daunte Culpepper on a one-year deal.

And asked how important it is for the No. 1 pick to produce this year, Mayhew said: "The draft is not for opening day. The draft is for this franchise — for now, for three years from now, for five years from now. We want to be able to extend these players. We want these guys to be here for 10 years. It's a bigger picture than just filling in spots and holes in the roster for opening day."

Mayhew didn't flinch when asked about the fans' pro-Curry and anti-Stafford chants at Monday's unveiling of the Lions' new logo.

"That's something you try to figure out about these guys before you select them," Mayhew said. "Can they deal with it if things aren't going well? Whether it's Stafford or Curry or whoever it is, we've gone through that process with them. So if things aren't going well, we have a feel for how those players might react."

But while saying the list of candidates has "narrowed down pretty dramatically," Mayhew declined to give a number of candidates remaining, let alone name them or indicate which one they will take.

The Lions have been tight-lipped through the entire process, and no one knows for sure what they're going to do — not even the prospects.

Echoing comments made by Curry on Monday, Smith said in a media conference call Tuesday: "I don't know what my chances are of being a Lion."