Super Bowl teams come up big as NFL announces compensatory picks for 2019 draft

The NFL announced the 32 compensatory picks that will be given to 15 teams for the 2019 NFL draft, and the Super Bowl participants are coming out looking rosy.

Both the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams will add a pair of picks at the end of the third round, while the Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Washington Redskins all received the maximum of four compensatory picks.

Compensatory picks are determined by a formula that the league has not disclosed, although teams that lost more or better free agents than they signed tend to get higher selections. The earliest compensatory picks will begin at 96 since the New York Giants forfeited their third-round pick after selecting cornerback Sam Beal in the supplemental draft last July.

The Patriots now own a league-high 12 picks in the upcoming draft, including six picks in the first three rounds, and compensatory picks notably can be traded as of 2017. They added their third-round compensatory picks after losing offensive tackle Nate Solder and cornerback Malcolm Butler in free agency, while the losses of running back Dion Lewis and wide receiver Danny Amendola, among others, helped them recoup picks at the end of the sixth and seventh rounds.

New England has been particularly adept at adding compensatory picks over the years, as the 39 they’ve added since 1994 trails only the Baltimore Ravens (50), Dallas Cowboys (42) and Green Bay Packers (42).

Washington will own the first compensatory pick after losing quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency, followed by New England’s first selection. The Rams own the next two picks after not retaining wide receiver Sammy Watkins and Trumaine Jackson, followed by the Carolina Panthers, who lost All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell.

Wrapping up the third-round compensatory picks, New England will select 101st ahead of the Ravens, who lost center Ryan Jensen last offseason.

The Rams, Cincinnati Bengals and Vikings all own three compensatory picks, while the Falcons and Eagles each have two when the draft is underway in Nashville from April 25-27. Assuming they don’t trade their pick, the Cardinals will have the honor of selecting Mr. Irrelevant with the 254th pick in the draft.

Notable recent compensatory draft picks

While compensatory picks don’t have the same glamour of first-round picks, they’ve definitely come in handy for teams looking to stockpile picks for trades, add depth or take a flier on someone.

The Pittsburgh Steelers did not retain offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum two offseasons ago when he signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the New York Jets. However, the Steelers did get a third-round compensatory pick for their troubles, which turned into running back James Conner. In 2018, Conner made his first Pro Bowl and was 11th in the league with 973 rushing yards despite missing three games.

The Cowboys got similarly lucky in 2016 when their decision to let linebacker Anthony Hitchens go netted them an extra fourth-round selection. Although Connor Cook wasn’t there at their 135th overall selection, the Cowboys still landed quarterback Dak Prescott, who has already led the team to two division titles in his first three years.

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