Rookie Deals Reset: Derek Moore at 44 The Detroit Lions are back on the field in Detroit. Rookies checked in yesterday without a rookie minicamp. Most draft picks put pen to paper. One exception stands out. Blake Miller remains unsigned, though there is little to negotiate. Derek Moore is the headline. The Lions locked the No. 44 pick into a four-year, $11,426,000 contract. Fully guaranteed at signing. That mirrors a growing NFL shift. Last year, top second-rounders pushed for guarantees like first-rounders. Teams such as the Texans and Browns agreed. The trend extended down to the 40th pick in 2025, Saints quarterback Tyler Shuck. Third-rounders still tend to get only their signing bonuses guaranteed. The financial landscape is changing fast, and the Lions moved with it. Inside Pick 37: The Call and the Restraint The New York Giants released their draft room video. In it, GM Joe Shane takes a call while on the clock at No. 37. You can hear him say 118, 128, and 157. Those are Detroit’s picks. The Lions were trying to climb for Moore. Detroit did not go that high. They moved from 50 to 44 instead and still landed Moore. The price to jump to 37 would have cost assets that became Jimmy Rolder and Keith Abney. The Giants did not trade the pick. They kept it and made their selection. Detroit read the board and got their guy without spending the extra capital. Holmes’ Aggression, This Time in Check There is a pattern with Brad Holmes. He targets his players and goes hard. In 2021, he said he would have traded into the first round for Levi Anzuriki. The cost to acquire Isaac Tussle was steep too. Two third-round picks this year and one last year. Value can blur when conviction takes over. This time, restraint showed. The Lions avoided an unnecessary jump to 37 and kept useful pieces. Rolder now heads into OTAs set to battle Malcolm Rodriguez for the third or fourth linebacker role. Abney draws praise and could push to start sooner than later. Those opportunities exist because Detroit held firm. The Derek Moore deal fits a new NFL reality. Second-round guarantees are rising, and the Lions did not hesitate. The attempted trade to 37 shows the front office’s urgency for Moore. The decision not to force it shows growth. On the Detroit Lions Podcast, this is the balance that matters. Get the player. Keep the board. Build the roster. #detroitlions #lions #detroitlionspodcast #nflscheduleleaks #lionsdraft #derrickmoore #newyorkgiants #nfldrafttrades #rookiecontracts #lionsjerseynumbers #jerseychanges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices