With the 2018 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, a significant announcement has been made: 15 teams will receive compensatory draft choices.
Building a successful franchise often requires a general manager to master the complicated nature of the NFL Draft. Cost-controlled talent is of the utmost importance with a hard cap, with franchises that attempt to build through free agency rarely experiencing sustained success.
Fortunately for 15 franchises, a recent announcement revealed that they’ll have as many as four new opportunities to ace the 2018 NFL Draft.
Compensatory draft picks are awarded to franchise that lose more or, “Better,” free agents than they acquire in the previous cycle. The formula for the determination of, “Better,” is relatively enigmatic, but factors include salary, postseason honors, and playing time.
According to NFL Vice President of Football Communications Michael Signora, 15 franchises have been awarded compensatory picks in the 2018 NFL Draft.
32 compensatory choices in the 2018 @NFL Draft have been awarded to 15 teams pic.twitter.com/7so8TJfChd
— Michael Signora (@NFLfootballinfo) February 23, 2018
The compensatory choices provide a compelling opportunity for 15 franchises to reverse their misfortune or build upon the success they’ve already experienced.
The Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, and Oakland Raiders are the big winners. All four franchises will receive four compensatory picks, with the Bengals striking gold with a third-round selection at No. 100 overall.
The Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans will both have three compensatory picks, including one third-round draft pick apiece.
The Minnesota Vikings have been awarded two compensatory picks, with both coming in Round 6 at No. 213 and No. 218 overall.
The Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will also receive selections. Denver’s lone compensatory pick will come in the third round at No. 99 overall.
As for what type of talent this opportunity could provide these 15 teams with, the likes of Larry Allen, Tom Brady, Brian Dawkins, and Hines Ward were all selected with compensatory draft choices.
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The best thing that a franchise can do is place an equal measure of value on the compensatory selections in the 2018 NFL Draft as those they’d already been planning to possess.