The 2026 NFL Draft awards compensatory picks to teams that lost top free agents and coaches from last year’s class. That includes the Detroit Lions, who saw defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn become the head coach of the New York Jets.
How did the Lions get a compensatory pick for Aaron Glenn?
The Lions received two third-round picks for developing assistant coach Aaron Glenn into another team’s head coach.
What did the Lions do with the compensatory picks from Aaron Glenn?
The Lions used the two third-round selections from the loss of Aaron Glenn and packaged them with their original 2026 third-round pick to select Isaac TeSlaa
in the 2025 NFL Draft. They also received back the 182nd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They used that as part of a package to move up to 171 and select OL Miles Frazier.
Why is a compensatory pick awarded for the loss of a coach or front office executive?
In 2020, the NFL enacted a reward system for developing coaches and front office staff that go on to become head coaches and general managers. Teams whose minority candidates are hired away by another team are rewarded with third-round draft picks.
If one is hired away, the team gets a third-round compensatory draft choice in two consecutive years. If both a coach and general manager are hired away in a single cycle, they receive picks in three consecutive years.
How was Aaron Glenn’s performance for the Jets in 2025?
After achieving a lot of success with the Lions, Glenn did not have the same results in his first year with the Jets. The team finished with a 3-14 record and earned the number two overall pick in the NFL draft. On top of that, the defense had zero interceptions. That is ironic because Glenn had 41 in his 15-year playing career, which started with the Jets back in 1994 as a first-round pick.
How did the Lions perform without Aaron Glenn?
The Lions’ defense definitely took a hit without Glenn as their defensive coordinator, after ranking seventh in the NFL in 2024. The unit dropped to 22nd in 2025. The Lions didn’t have much of a say in the move, so they’ll take the pick in return.
