Detroit Lions not projected to receive any compensatory draft picks in 2025

The Detroit Lions had some notable losses, and some notable gains, in 2024 free agency. With the loss of Will Harris to the New Orleans Saints this week, that has prompted questions about compensatory draft picks in 2025.

Essentially, compensatory draft picks are awarded based on losses in the previous year's free agency. They can be offset by what a team gained in free agency, and the league has layered in an element attached to losing a minority hire to a coaching or general manager position with another team to award compensatory picks. If/when defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn gets a head coaching job, or assistant general manager Ray Agnew gets a general manager job elsewhere, the Lions will receive compensatory picks for losing them.

The last time the Lions had compensatory draft picks was in 2022, and they took safety Kerby Joseph, tight end James Mitchell and edge rusher James Houston with those picks. They were shut out of the compensatory pick formula in 2023 and this year.

Based on what we've seen, losing Harris wasn't likely to impact the Lions in the compensatory pick formula for 2025. But being that he signed on May 1, the ship has sailed on that anyway.

Lions not in line to receive any compensatory draft picks again in 2025

Over The Cap does a nice job projecting compensatory draft picks, and NFL.com recently came out with a piece outline compensatory picks for 2025.

Using Over The Cap'schart, here's how the Lions came out.

Qualifying free agents lost: OG Jonah Jackson, DB C.J Gardner-Johnson, WR Josh Reynolds
Qualifying free agents gained: EDGE Marcus Davenport, DT DJ Reader, OG Kevin Zeitler, CB Amik Robertson

As seen, gaining four and losing three qualifying free agents means the Lions won't get any compensatory picks in the 2025 draft. That's the back-end cost of signing notable players. Getting three compensatory picks in 2022 was a direct reflection of not doing much in the first year of free agency under a new regime in 2021.

While it might be nice to have an extra draft pick or two, not having any in three straight drafts (barring losing Glenn and/or Agnew before next April) is as much a reflection of the Lions becoming a good team as anything else is.