September 30, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis (83) runs with the ball as Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Eric Wright (21) defends during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Blogging the bEast took a shot at projecting how the league will award compensatory picks and the Lions come away with two. The NFL uses a complex formula for determining how compensatory picks will be awarded. It requires a team has a net loss of free agents and awards compensatory picks based on a combination of salary, playing time and awards.

The loss of cornerback Eric Wright to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was assumed to get the Lions an additional draft pick from the very beginning. That’s exactly what the projections shows, with a fourth round pick coming to the Lions. The Lions are currently without their 2013 fourth round pick from the 2012 draft day trade with the Minnesota Vikings that allowed the team to draft Tahir Whitehead.

While some thought that the Lions might only gain that one compensatory pick, Blogging the bEast projects the Lions to receive an additional seventh round pick from the loss of Drew Stanton. This falls in a bit of a gray area, as they note:

One player that counted, Drew Stanton, was traded from the team that signed him, the Jets, to Indianapolis. I gave Detroit a pick for losing him. Neither the Jets or Indianapolis had comp picks to lose, but that would have been an interesting situation to see. I can’t see comp pick rights moving as a result of trade.

The projection based on losing Eric Wright should be seen as quite solid, but we’ll have to wait until the league meetings held March 17-20 to know if the Lions will get an additional pick for losing Stanton. While an additional seventh round pick might not seem like a lot, Martin Mayhew once traded a seventh round pick for Shaun Hill.

Oct 23, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions cornerback Eric Wright (21) returns an interception against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

The Lions have had six arrests in six months this off-season and had Eric Wright still been on the Lions roster, this could have been the indecent that pushed the Lions front office to make some roster changes.

Although Wright is no longer with the Lions, it is strange that the one starter the Lions lost this off-season has found himself int the same trouble as Nick Fairley and Aaron Berry have. Wright’s arrest brings up a very important question, does Wright’s arrest point to a bad habit he might have picked up while playing for the Lions?

The is no way of knowing for certain, but it is certainly possible that the Lions’ locker room had some sort of impact on Wright’s off the field lifestyle, and it certainly seems that the Lions’ locker room needs some cleaning out, and fast. The Lions’ off-season woes have been spreading like a fungus and the only way to stop this from spreading further into the locker room is to take action. Whether that be cutting a player (which I have suggested in previous articles) or forcing the players who have slipped up this off-season to attend a rookie symposium (which has been a step Nick Fairley has voluntarily chosen to do), or perhaps force these players to attend some kind of counseling sessions or drunk driving awareness program. Regardless of what it might be, the Lions must take action.

Cutting a player would have the most effect on the locker room. Nothing gets a point across more like someone losing their job. However, I understand that if one player is cut there has to be a certain precedent that must be followed, and I know that many fans would not be happy if the Lions decided to start cutting players for slip ups and a player like Stafford slipped up and got cut.

The reality of it is that the Lions’ stars (Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson) are model citizens, and even if they did indeed slip up, it would be extremely unlikely that either player would get cut, regardless of if other players had been made an example of. It might not be fair, but it’s reality, and more than likely the Lions would not find themselves in a situation like this because Stafford and Johnson are such stand up guys.

Most likely we will not see anyone cut this off-season for the previous six arrests, but if another slip up occurs, it would be extremely hard for the Lions to not take this action. However, I firmly believe that Lions management must take some form of action on all the players arrested this off-season.

Taking any of the actions previously suggested might seem harsh, or unnecessary as these are grown men. I also thought these off the field issues would blow over at first and not require punishment. However, these incidents must not be taken lightly. After more and more arrests occurred in the Lions’ locker room, and Eric Wright’s recent arrest, it has become painfully obvious that some form of action must be taken for these issues to be resolved permanently.

Nov 20, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Brandon LaFell (11) catches a pass while being defended by Detroit Lions cornerback Eric Wright (21). Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

The Departure of Eric Wright via free agency makes cornerback even more of a priority for the Detroit Lions. Wright was a productive player for the relative bargain price of $2 million. It will be difficult, perhaps impossible, for the Lions to replace Wright for that kind of money on the free agent market.

That being said, it turns out that the Lions are in perfect position to add a cornerback of Wright’s caliber at the $2 million annual price tag that Wright signed for prior to last season. All the Lions have to do to realize that opportunity is use their first round pick, the 23rd overall pick, on a cornerback in next month’s draft.

Last year’s 23rd overall pick was Philadelphia Eagles guard Danny Watkins. He now earns an average salary of $1.984 million on a four-year deal worth $7.936 million.

Fortunately for our purposes, last year’s 23rd pick was surrounded by selections of cornerbacks exactly four picks before and after to give us another point of reference for what the Lions would shell out to a cornerback selected 23rd overall.

The New York Giants selected Prince Amukamara 19th overall who signed a four year deal worth $8.18 million. That’s a yearly price tag of $2.045 million.

The Ravens selected Jimmy Smith with the 27th overall pick. Smith’s rookie contract is a four-year deal worth $7.461 million for a yearly average of $1.865 million.

With a rookie wage scale in place thanks to the new CBA and a flat salary cap we can expect that rookie contract will look a lot like they did last year. Whether you look at the numbers based on last year’s 23rd pick or the average of the two cornerback picks around it, it is clear that the Lions will be paying their first round pick in the neighborhood of $2 million per year. The Lions can get a cornerback that they can pay like Eric Wright in 2011 and it’s likely a first round corner can play like Eric Wright in 2011 – or better.

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