Tag: NFL minority hiring rule

Ravens expected to earn 2 compensatory picks in 2021 NFL draft

The Baltimore Ravens are expected to earn compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL draft after losing coach David Culley and DT Michael Pierce.

If the Baltimore Ravens could enter every draft with 20 picks, they probably still wouldn’t be happy and would actively look to trade back at some point to acquire more. But this offseason, the Ravens’ draft cupboard is pretty bare as they start thinking about the 2021 NFL draft.

Currently, Baltimore has just five picks in the 2021 NFL draft after trading for players like Yannick Ngakoue. But that’s before the NFL announces the compensatory picks, which should give the Ravens quite the boost in draft capital.

According to Over The Cap, the Ravens are set to earn two compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL draft — in the third- and fifth-round — bringing their total to seven draft picks. While the compensatory picks aren’t locked in stone, OTC has been one of the best at predicting which teams will earn what, so it’s a pretty safe bet.

Baltimore’s third-round compensatory pick is already guaranteed to happen. With the Houston Texans hiring former Ravens wide receivers coach David Culley as their new head coach, Baltimore earns a third-round compensatory pick in both the 2021 and 2022 NFL drafts. It’s a part of the league’s new minority hiring initiative, unanimously agreed to by team owners in November as a way to promote minority head coach and general manager candidates.

It’s the fifth-round pick that OTC is really predicting. They’re expecting defensive tackle Michael Pierce, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings last year but opted out of the 2020 season under the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols, to earn one of the last remaining fifth-round picks. The Vikings signed Pierce to a three-year $27 million contract that has an APY of $9 million, which is a major factor in the compensatory pick formula, per OTC.

While the compensatory picks haven’t been announced yet, here are the expected Ravens’ 2021 NFL draft picks.

Round Pick #
1st 27
2nd 58
3rd 104 *Comp pick for David Culley
4th 131
5th 169
5th 184 *Comp pick for Michael Pierce
6th 211

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Ravens will get 2 third-round comp picks after Texans hire David Culley

Under the NFL’s new minority hiring rule, the Baltimore Ravens will get 2 third-round compensatory picks after the Texans hire David Culley

The Baltimore Ravens could be the biggest winners of all as the Houston Texans have hired David Culley as their newest head coach. With the Texans hiring Culley away from Baltimore, the Ravens will earn third-round compensatory picks in the 2021 and 2021 NFL drafts under the NFL’s new minority hiring rule.

NFL owners passed a new initiative in November, expanding the Rooney Rule a little further to promote more hiring of minorities into top roles. Under the NFL’s new minority hiring resolution, teams that lose a minority coach or executive to head coach or general manager positions with another team will earn third-round compensatory picks in each of the next two NFL drafts.

As CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones pointed out, Culley has a very interesting and extensive background in football. Culley was the first black quarterback at Vanderbilt and he’s been an assistant head coach under both John Harbaugh and Andy Reid, giving him on- and off-field experience in preparation for this new job.

The Ravens have been one of the bastions of racial equality in football, being the first team to have a black general manager in Ozzie Newsome. And throughout the last year, as the country has been embroiled over racial and social tensions, the entire team — with owner Steve Bisciotti prominently featured — has been leading the charge in calling for both political and societal changes to stop systemic racism.

Though coach John Harbaugh has often preached continuity, especially in regards to his coaching staff, the Ravens have often been excited about their coaches get bigger and better opportunities elsewhere. While losing Culley will undoubtedly impact Baltimore’s offense, it’s great to see him get a chance to shine as a head coach for the first time. And the Ravens getting two compensatory picks doesn’t hurt either.

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