No 2024 compensatory picks for the Lions, as expected
Compensatory draft picks are awarded each year based on a formula of gains and losses in free agency from the prior offseason, so we knew the Lions would not get any compensatory picks for the second straight year this year. On Friday, the league officially awarded compensatory picks for 2024.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press shared league-wide compensatory pick history since 1994 (the free agency era). The Lions are in the bottom half of the league with 24 compensatory picks, with the Baltimore Ravens having the most (56) and the Cleveland Browns having the least (13).
Top-30 pre-draft visits
This week, according to reports from Birkett and Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire, the Lions had pre-draft visits with CFL cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers and Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd this week. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero also reported the visit with Boyd.
The top-30 pre-draft visit with Stiggers was previously reported. He is attempting to become the third modern era player to be drafted without playing a snap of college football. Per ESPN, defensive tackle Eric Swann (1991) and wide receiver Moritz Boehringer (2016) are the only two to do so up to this point.
Stiggers signed with Lane College in Tennessee out of high school, but returned home after his father died after a car accident the pandemic cancelled the 2020 season at Lane. He played in the Fan Controlled Football League, and with the help of his coach there he landed with the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL last season. He had five interceptions last season and was named the league's Most Outstanding Rookie.
Boyd (6-foot-2, 317 pounds) was a notable combine snub. He had an outstanding week at the East-West Shrine Bowl, and he's on the radar of NFL teams in part due to having played 1-tech and 3-tech tackle spots at Northern Iowa. He would seem to fit nicely alongside Alim McNeill on the interior of the Lions' defensive line.
A WR in the first round?
There has been some general buzz among Lions' writers about the possibility they'll take a wide receiver in the first round of April's draft (pick No. 29). ESPN's Field Yates, during a conference call with reporters on Thursday (h/t to Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News) advanced the merits of that idea.
"I don’t think it’s a situation where you have to force the issue, but I feel great about Amon-Ra St. Brown being a clear-cut wide receiver one … (Tight end) Sam LaPorta obviously was beyond incredible in his rookie season,” Yates said. “Jameson is still kind of a ‘we’ll see’ player, right?
".. I like a lot of what Jameson brings to the table, but there’s still one more level to get to before I can say that wide receiver is a non-need for them.”
The Lions do have question marks at wide receiver after St. Brown, especially if Josh Reynolds leaves in free agency. This year's draft class of wide receivers, including some who are in the first-round conversation after the top names. So if Brad Holmes wants to take the proverbial "best player available" at pick 29, it may very well be a wide receiver.