compensatory draft pick – Syndication Server

Patriots projected to get a massive haul in 2023 compensatory picks

Patriots projected to get a nice return in compensatory picks for the 2023 NFL draft.

The New England Patriots are expected to make out well when it comes to compensatory picks in the 2023 NFL draft.

According to Over The Cap’s Nick Korte’s recent compensatory pick projections, the Patriots are expected to be rewarded with three extra picks, including a fourth-round pick for J.C. Jackson, sixth-rounder for Ted Karras and seventh-rounder for Brandon Bolden.

Being awarded three extra picks is a massive haul for the Patriots considering four is the maximum number of compensatory picks a team can have in a single draft.

So those projected picks would bring the Patriots’ total number of draft selections to 11. That’s some serious ammunition heading into a draft where the team will likely need serious help on both sides of the ball.

The defensive backfield could take a significant hit if Devin McCourty retires and some of the coveted free agent pieces, like Jonathan Jones and Jabrill Peppers, leave in free agency. On offense, the team clearly needs help on the offensive line and at receiver.

The Patriots have the cap space and picks to get it all done through free agency and the draft. It’s all a matter of picking the right players at this point.

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Chargers projected to receive compensatory 2021 NFL draft pick

The Los Angeles Chargers could have three Day 2 selections next year.

The NFL’s free agency compensation window closed on Monday, which means any free agent who signs after Monday no longer would net their former club a compensatory pick.

As it stands now, the Chargers are projected to receive a third-round compensatory selection in 2021 after losing quarterback Philip Rivers to free agency according to Over The Cap.

Rivers signed a one-year deal worth $25 million with the Colts earlier this offseason.

There was the possibility of Los Angeles gaining another compensatory pick for running back Melvin Gordon (fifth-round), but he waited until yesterday to sign, which means they didn’t gain anything out of it.

The league gives out 32 compensatory picks from the third through seventh rounds of the draft each year based on a selected pool of free agents lost. Among that, the largest 32 contracts signed by free agents based on average per-year value will net a team compensation.

A formula takes salary, playing time and postseason accolades into consideration to value players and determine whether teams should be compensated for those players leaving in free agency. But the compensated-for players are also determined by a formula dictated by individual teams’ gains and losses of unrestricted free agents each year.

The picks won’t be determined until after the 2021 season, but here’s to hoping that L.A. is able to acquire an eighth draft pick next year, and an additional Day 2 selection for that matter.

The clock is ticking on a Saints compensatory draft pick for Eli Apple

The Saints projected to receive a compensatory draft pick in 2021 after Eli Apple left, but he’s a free agent again before the NFL deadline.

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We were so close to the New Orleans Saints reversing a decades-long trend when it comes to compensatory draft picks. Usually too active in adding free agents to qualify, the Saints finally lost more than they gained in the 2020 offseason following the departures of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, linebacker A.J. Klein, safety Vonn Bell, and cornerback Eli Apple.

When matched against the addition of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, that left the Saints with a +3 value in Over The Cap’s cancellation chart, projecting them to receive three compensatory picks in the 2021 draft. That would mean an extra selection in the third round (for Bridgewater) and a pair of sixth-round picks (for Bell and Apple, having lost another one by signing Sanders).

But Apple’s verbal agreement with the Las Vegas Raiders fell apart before he could put pen to paper, and he’s still a free agent. That cost the Saints a possible sixth-round pick in next year’s draft, and if he doesn’t sign with a new team at a comparable salary before the NFL’s deadline, they won’t get anything back for him.

The new collective bargaining agreement stipulates that veteran free agents may only qualify for the compensatory draft pick formula until 4 p.m. ET on the Monday following the draft; that puts this year’s deadline on April 27. With the first round of the draft set to begin on Thursday night, odds are slim that Apple will land with a new team before the deadline.

That means the Saints swapped a 2019 fourth-round pick and their seventh rounder in 2020 for just 27 games with Apple (including the playoffs). He was just as inconsistent in New Orleans as he was with the New York Giants, the team that drafted him, but Apple’s brightest moments far surpassed those with his first team.

So where does he go next? He might face a more active market after the draft, once teams around the league will have had an opportunity to address their needs at the position. If they weren’t able to do so, Apple should receive more interest as one of the few starting-quality options available.

But if he doesn’t get any offers to his liking, could a reunion with the Saints be in the cards? Stranger things have happened. Apple has said before that he enjoyed his experience in New Orleans, playing with old Ohio State teammates like Marshon Lattimore, and he would offer great depth behind Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins (who he also played with in New York).

But Apple’s best shot at a big NFL payday might come after he proves he can turn in 16 strong games as a starter, and he shouldn’t expect that sort of opportunity with the Saints this year.

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