DETROIT – Well maybe that sounds a little bit crazy but my colleague Andy Kossak covered that issue and asked the question of whether or not the Detroit Lions may just let their time expire and not take a player.

Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com is also leading a discussion on that topic but he goes a bit further in exploring the fall-out for the rest of the draft order.

Would the St. Louis Rams who hold the #2 pick effectively have to sign their athlete as if he were the top pick?

Although the league has dealt with the issue of a team failing to make its pick in time (Minnesota, 2003) it didn’t involve the big kahuna #1 slot. Because that designation holds so much cache as well as the potential for guaranteed bonus money the fallout would be substantial.

Let’s say Detroit puts in its card for a selection after the Rams make their pick at #2. Who is the #1 pick in that instance? Is it the first athlete up on the stage with a team’s jersey and hat smiling for cameras with the commissioner?

Or is it the second athlete chosen, by the team that was designated as picking first?

This more than likely would lead to legal action by agents and lawyers for the athlete who was taken second but by a team which held the #1 pick. They would argue that you can’t relieve yourself of the burden to pay the big money by deliberately picking second.

For good measure the representatives for the first athlete chosen (by the team that held the second pick) would claim he deserves the big bonus money as the actual first choice.

I love these mind games and the league being thrown into a tizzy. The reason for all of these hypothetical questions is the slotting scale that exists for first round picks.

Commissioner Goodell has already announced his strong intention to create a new rookie payscale. He’s hoping that DeMaurice Smith, the new Executive VP of the NFLPA is on board with that.

Last year Goodell had the public support of Kevin Mawae, a vocal NFL player’s union member when Mawae questioned the $34.5 million contract given to Matt Ryan by the Atlanta Falcons.

If the players want to be certain their slice of the revenue pie isn’t diminished in the negotiations for a new contract with the league, changing the level of the huge rookie bonuses and salaries might be a way to do that.

Tired of the same old sports page? Then check out Paula Duffy’s insightful (and often humorous) take on the sports day at her Examiner.com page! The popular co-host for Sports Journey Radio is also a contributor to the Huffington Post and founder of the sports learning site Incidental Contact. In her spare time, Duffy practices law in Los Angeles. But don’t hold that against her.