The NFL released the annual pool of compensatory draft picks for the 2021 draft on Wednesday. As expected, the Detroit Lions did not receive any comp picks.
The picks are awarded based on net free agent spending. Teams that spend more on incoming free agents the prior offseason than what the players they let go in free agency earn with their new teams and contracts don’t earn cop picks. The Lions were net spenders in free agency. Players who were cut or traded do not count in the comp pick formula, only ones whose contracts expired.
Detroit hasn’t earned a compensatory pick since 2016, when they were awarded the No. 95 overall pick for losing Ndamukong Suh to free agency. Signing free agents was a key to the team-building process under former GM Bob Quinn, so the Lions spending has far exceeded the net losses in free agency over the last several years.
