Patriots projected to receive most compensatory picks in 2020 NFL draft

The free-agency spending spree will result in several teams receiving compensatory picks in the 2020 NFL draft. Here’s one expert’s prediction on which teams will lead the way with the most extra selections.

One of the benefits of taking a conservative approach to NFL free agency is the league’s compensatory pick program, which rewards extra draft selections to teams that lost more free agents than they signed the previous offseason.

The exact formula used by the league office to determine how many picks a team receives is, in fact, a great mystery, but NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein did his best to predict which teams will end up with the most.

And in what should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, the Patriots lead the way.

“The formula is very straightforward here,” Zierlein wrote, “with the Patriots losing seven qualifying free agents and gaining just three low-priced additions. New England is quite familiar with allowing high-priced free agents to walk and later receiving compensatory picks for them. They are in almost the same spot as last year, with four headed their way.”

New England has mastered the compensatory pick process. They’ve built their championship rosters mainly through the draft, and adding as many as four extra picks year after year feels like an unjust enrichment for what might be the last great dynasty the NFL will ever see.

The Seahawks could also receive four picks, according to Zierlein’s calculations, after losing Earl Thomas and Justin Coleman in free agency.

“The Legion of Boom is completely kaput, with Earl Thomas having departed for Baltimore, but the Seahawks will likely get a third-round comp pick in return. Justin Coleman’s contract with the Lions should bring a fourth-round selection, since the addition of Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers is not on the financial level to cancel out that loss.”

There is a maximum of 32 compensatory picks awarded each year.