We are a week away from the start of the 2010 NFL Draft, and the Lions are going to spend the time from now until next Thursday strictly getting ready for the annual players selection meeting in New York City. Specifically, the Lions will not be worrying about setting up a meeting with Pacman Jones, as Martin Mayhew stated during today's press conference in Allen Park.
"I have not met with him yet and it stands about where it did before," Mayhew said during a pre-draft press conference Thursday. "We haven't made much progress in that direction now."
Mayhew said he doesn't expect to meet with Jones before the draft, which isn't too surprising. The Lions will likely see how the draft shakes out and if a good young corner is available to them before they make a move on Jones.
As the quote alluded to, it really wouldn't make a ton of sense to make any big free agent signings this close to the draft. It's not like there are teams lining up to sign Jones considering the Lions seem to be the only team with any real interest in him. As a result, Detroit has the luxury of being able to wait and see what happens during the draft before making any decisions about Jones. I imagine the Lions would rather just select a talented cornerback next week, but they do have a possible backup plan in Jones if the position isn't properly addressed during the draft.