NFL Grant 39 compensatory choices to 16 teams on Tuesday, with California certainly feeling among the teams receiving the most selections in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams received five additional picks with the Los Angeles Chargers adding four additional picks. The Detroit Lions took the closest prize, placing 97th overall at the end of Round Three after losing five major free agents and winning only two in the 2021 free agency.
The Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, and Kansas City Chiefs join the Rams and 49ers among six teams that received an additional selection (two in the case of the Niners) as part of a league initiative for organizations that develop minority candidates to fill head coach or manager positions year with a new hiring team.
The San Francisco area includes two third rounds (No. 102 and 105), two sixth round (No. 220, 221) and a seventh round (No. 262). Both selections in the third round come as a result of coordinators leaving key coaching jobs in the past two seasons, Robert Saleh to the New York Jets in 2021 and Mike McDaniel to the Miami Dolphins this year. Martin Mayhew also departed last season to become general manager of the Washington Leaders.
The Niners were given three total compensatory choices over two years for Mayhew and two other choices over two years for McDaniel. The Niners’ other three redeeming picks were awarded based on the league’s standard redeeming formula for players who lost and gained during the free agency.
The Niners’ general manager, John Lynch, in the NFL Scouting, said compensatory choices are becoming more of a focus for the team when evaluating off-season moves.
“I think that’s something that Kyle and I probably need to grow,” Lynch said. “We love to be aggressive but this is also a valuable tool that a lot of good organizations have tried to take advantage of. In order to do that you have to let good players go. It’s not something we liked to do but you have to understand that many of the players we are pushing are at the top of the market , which is a good deal because we have players who deserve to be at the top of the market, but you can’t keep everyone. So sometimes we play that game that companies pick, I think it’s starting to emerge.”
The Niners now have 10 total picks in the 2022 draft, although one of the make-up picks in the third round – No. 102 or 105 – will transfer to Dolphins as part of last year’s trade to move to third in the draft. The team is waiting to announce which of these options it will be. The 49ers used that number 3 picking quarterback Tree Lance.
The Rams, who beat the Niners in the NFC Championship game, also had five offsetting choices: third round (No. 104), fourth round (No. 142) and three sixth rounds (No. 211, 212 and 218). The third-round pick is to leave Brad Holmes to become the General Manager of the Detroit Lions while the others came as a result of the team not signing eligible free agents with a final loss. Samson Abukamtight end Gerald Everettdefensive line Morgan Foxback corner, Troy Hill and safety John Johnson III.
Since the compensatory pick was installed in 1994, the Baltimore Ravens have received the most additional options with 55. The Ravens received two this year, a third-round pick (#100) and a fourth-round pick (#139).
