8:54 pm: Final negotiations have begun between Stafford and the Lions according to Steve Wyche (NFL.com), and an agreement could be reached tonight. This comes on the heels of the news from Tom Kowalski (MLive.com) that Detroit has already reached a deal with Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry and is simply waiting to see if Stafford will come to terms before the team is on the clock.

3:58 pm: Detroit’s front office is categorically denying the report by the Oakland Press, and is doing their best to insist that no deal is complete with Stafford as of right now, according to Tom Kowalski (MLive.com).

3:47 pm: According to a report by David Birkett (Oakland Press), the Detroit Lions and Matt Stafford are on the verge of a contract, locking the Georgia QB in as the number one overall pick in this weekend’s draft. The Lions have ths far denied the story, but the source cited by Birkett in the story stated emphatically that “a ‘catastrophe’ would have to happen for the Lions not to draft Stafford at this point.”

Detroit’s front office brass apparently met with team owner William Clay Ford this afternoon to receive his final approval on the deal, and once things are finalized, a press conference would likely be forthcoming prior to the draft to announce the team’s intentions.