Analyst Reveals Ravens, Eagles Strategy Lions Will Likely Duplicate

The Detroit Lions' current roster is one of the best in the NFL, and its foundation was built through the NFL draft.

With the Lions having the success they've had in the NFL draft, the result has been a number of talented players receiving hefty contracts to remain with the organization. Because of this, cap space in future seasons is being increasingly diminished.

As the Lions' roster gets more expensive, general manager Brad Holmes will need to continue stacking talent onto the roster through the draft. With several players on expensive contracts, the Lions will benefit from adding good young players on rookie deals to even out the cap space.

While this can be difficult to navigate, there are blueprints to replicate. In particular, the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles are two options suggested by NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah during a recent interview with team reporter Tim Twentyman.

The Ravens, for whom Jeremiah was a scout at one point during his career, and the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles both have found ways to maximize their success by allowing some players to depart and earning compensatory selections as a result.

Making the most of those compensatory selections gives the teams more chances to add talent on rookie contracts.

“When you draft really well, and then you back that up by continuing to draft well, it’s just like this cycle," Jeremiah explained. "What happens then? 'We sign some guys, we let some guys walk. The guys that walk, we end up getting comp picks. So now I’ve got more picks, extra ammunition.' Keep drafting well, you can then let more players walk. More players walk, you get more comp picks."

The Eagles are a prime example of this strategy. After winning the Super Bowl, the Eagles allowed several key players to walk in free agency. Among them were defensive tackle Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Mekhi Becton and Isaiah Rodgers.