Rams, 49ers, Saints among the NFL’s biggest winners in 2022 compensatory draft picks

The Los Angeles Rams came into the 2022 offseason with a depleted cache of draft picks. Thanks to the league’s compensatory selection program, their war chest got a little bit bigger.

The Rams and Los Angeles Chargers were the biggest winners when the league announced this year’s compensatory picks, each netting four additional draft selections each between rounds three and seven. The league awards these to franchises who lose “more or better compensatory free agents (“CFA”) than it acquires in the previous year.” In short, any team that sees more stars leave as free agents than it signs is eligible for bonus draft picks based on the NFL’s proprietary formula the following year. Compensatory picks are also awarded to teams for  having minority coaches hired away.

In 2021, the Rams lost Samson Ebukam, Gerald Everett, Morgan Fox, Troy Hill, and John Johnson without signing any CFAs, leading to a four-pick haul that includes one third, one fourth, and two sixth-round picks. The Chargers parted ways with Dan Feeney, Hunter Henry, Rayshawn Jenkins, Denzel Perryman, Tyrod Taylor, and Sam Tevi but also signed Matt Feiler and Corey Linsley, limiting them to one sixth and three seventh-round selections.

While the two Los Angeles teams led the league in total compensatory picks, the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints may have had the best overall haul. They each received two of the nine third-round selections set to wrap up Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Here’s the full list of compensatory picks, courtesy of NFL.com.