NFL Announces Compensatory Draft Choices

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

At the NFL’s Annual Meeting today, it was announced that a total of 32 compensatory choices in the 2008 NFL Draft have been awarded to 15 teams. Under terms of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in a year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks. The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four. The 32 compensatory choices announced by the NFL today will supplement the 220 choices in the seven rounds of the 2008 NFL Draft (April 26-27). This year, the compensatory picks will be positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.

It’s not quantum physics, but 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. In fact, one club this year (St. Louis Rams) will receive a compensatory pick even though it did not suffer a net loss of compensatory free agents. Under the formula, the compensatory free agents St. Louis lost were ranked higher than the ones it signed (by a specified point differential based upon salary and performance).

Here are the teams and how many compensatory picks they will receive: Baltimore (4), Cincinnati (4), Chicago (3), Indianapolis (3), Philadelphia (3), Washington (3), Buffalo (2), Carolina (2), Miami (2), Atlanta (1), Green Bay (1), N.Y. Giants (1), St. Louis (1), San Diego (1), and Tennessee (1).