New Orleans Saints awarded third round compensatory picks

NEW YORK — A total of 39 compensatory draft selections in the 2022 NFL Draft have been awarded to 16 teams, the NFL announced today. 

Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents (“CFA”) than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.

The compensatory picks will be positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.

Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors.  The formula was developed by the NFL management council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.  No club may receive more than four compensatory picks in any one year. If a club qualifies for more than four compensatory picks after offsetting each CFA lost by each CFA gained of an equal or higher value, the four highest remaining selections will be awarded to the club.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement limits the number of compensatory selections to the number of clubs then in the League (32). This year, one club, the Kansas City Chiefs, qualified for a compensatory selection under the net loss formula but will not receive that pick because the final numerical value of the CFA who was lost ranked 33^rd among the final numerical values of all compensatory selections. Kansas City will receive a compensatory selection for one other CFA lost whose final numerical value ranked within the top 32.

In addition to the 32 compensatory selections awarded under the net loss formula, seven special compensatory selections were awarded to six clubs: the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers (two special compensatory selections), Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Rams under a 2020 amendment to the League’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was agreed upon by the NFL and the NFLPA to promote equal employment opportunities and an inclusive workforce within NFL clubs. This initiative provides that the prior employer-club of a minority employee who has been hired by another club as its head coach or primary football executive (general manager) will receive compensation in the form of a special compensatory draft selection in the third round of each of the next two drafts, or in each of the next three drafts if two minority employees from the employer-club are hired for these positions by another club or clubs. Special compensatory selections are awarded in draft selection order after all other compensatory selections in round three and are denoted with an asterisk in the following table. 

The following 2022 compensatory draft picks have been awarded for the 2022 NFL Draft, which will be held on April 28-30 in Las Vegas:

The compensatory free agents lost and gained in 2021 by the clubs that will receive compensatory picks in the 2022 Draft:

2022 NFL COMPENSATORY DRAFT PICKS*

*Does not include special compensatory selections

SUMMARY OF COMPENSATORY DRAFT PICKS, 1994-2022*

*Does not include special compensatory selections

{Courtesy: release from the NFL}