Except he technically wouldn't be losing money, unless he falls to a lower draft spot. He was mocked around #12-15 last year, and most have him around #10-12 this year.
Last year's salary for #12:
$1,931,900 $2,018,800 $2,105,700 = $6.0565m
This year's salary for #12:
$2,299,400 $2,729,400 $3,189,300 = $8.2178m
If he gets up to #10, his salary would be:
$2,547,700 $3,024,100 $3,533,500 = $9.1045m
He'd have to fall to around #17, for his first contract this year to be about the same as going #12 last year. You could argue that one more year of not-getting paid would have been a detriment in the long run, but the real money comes from your 2nd contract.