The Detroit Lions are projected to receive two compensatory picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. One of these will be a third-round selection due to former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn taking the head coach position with the New York Jets.
Compensatory picks are determined using a formula that considers the number of qualifying free agents lost and signed by a team each offseason. If a team loses and signs the same number of qualifying free agents, the league may still award a late-round, seventh-round pick based on the “net value” of the players involved.
As explained by OverTheCap.com, “The formula will occasionally award a ‘net value’ compensatory pick, as explained in App. V, §5, for a team if that team loses and gains an equal number of CFAs, but the sum of the FNV of the CFAs lost is 300 or more points greater than the sum of the FNV of the CFAs gained. Net value compensatory picks are always 7th round picks, and they are always placed in order immediately after the regular 7th round compensatory picks.”
In this case, Detroit’s net value for losing veterans Carlton Davis and Kevin Zeitler is 363 points, qualifying them for a seventh-round compensatory pick in 2026. Davis signed a contract worth $18 million annually, while Zeitler’s one-year deal was valued at $9 million. Meanwhile, the Lions signed cornerback D.J. Reed for $16 million per year and defensive tackle Roy Lopez on a one-year, $4.5 million contract.
Some departures, such as defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu, were not included in the formula. Likewise, players like Grant Stuard, Rock Ya-Sin, and Kenny Yeboah did not factor into the calculation. Stuard signed a fully guaranteed one-year, $1.7 million contract, while financial details for Ya-Sin and Yeboah remain undisclosed.
Experts tracking free agency moves also suggest that Avonte Maddox’s contract with Detroit does not meet the threshold required to impact the compensatory pick formula.
