Compensatory Picks

The NFL announced the recipients of the Compensatory Picks for the 2018 NFL Draft. These are the picks that are handed to teams to compensate them for net free agent losses of the year before. With four picks each, the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys got their usual generous helping of picks. Since the league started awarding these extra picks in 1994 the Packers have received 42 and the Cowboys have received 41. Only the Baltimore Ravens (49) have received more. The Minnesota Vikings are on the other end of things. The two sixth round Compensatory Picks this year are a bonanza. They've only received 19 since 1994. That's mostly due to their tendency to sign their own players rather than letting them move on to other teams. As a result, the Vikings are usually shut out of Compensatory Pick game. Here's how this year's 32 extra picks were distributed.


2018 Compensatory Picks

(Round-overall selection, team)

3-97 Cardinals

3-98 Texans

3-99 Broncos

3-100 Bengals

4-133 Packers

4-134 Cardinals

4-135 Giants

4-136 Patriots

4-137 Cowboys

5-170 Bengals

5-171 Cowboys

5-172 Packers

5-173 Cowboys

5-174 Packers

6-207 Packers

6-208 Cowboys

6-209 Chiefs

6-210 Raiders

6-211 Texans

6-212 Raiders

6-213 Vikings

6-214 Texans

6-215 Ravens

6-216 Raiders

6-217 Raiders

6-218 Vikings

7-251 Chargers

7-252 Bengals

7-253 Bengals

7-254 Cardinals

7-255 Buccaneers

7-256 Falcons

The two additional sixth round picks gives the Vikings a total of seven picks in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Round 1-30th
Round 2-62nd
Round 3-94th
Round 5-167th
Round 6-204th

Round 6-213th

Round 6-218th

The Vikings sent their 4th round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles as part of the Sam Bradford trade. Not that it matters here but the Eagles then flipped the pick to the Miami Dolphins for Jay Ajayi. The Vikings sent their 7th round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Tramaine Brock.

Personally, I think that the NFL should stop handing out these extra picks. Most teams are managing the salary cap well. If they want to keep their player they have the cap space, or means to create space, to do so. The cases in which a team loses a player that they truly want to keep are becoming rare. Theses picks have become more gifts than compensation. The teams that play the Compensatory Pick game the best (the Ravens, Packers, Cowboys) are letting players go knowing that these picks are coming in return. They want the picks more than the player. Why should they be compensated for losing a player that wasn't really in their long-term plans? The days of the Compensatory Picks being a need are long gone. Besides, these extra picks really hack up the draft order.