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The NFL released the extra Compensatory Picks that will be given out to certain teams based on the free agents they lost the previous year. The Baltimore Ravens were thought to be getting picks in the 5th and 6th rounds but were awarded two consecutive picks at the end of the 5th round in next month's NFL Draft.
The picks will be after the normal 32 picks of that round and will specifically be pick number 33 (164 overall) and 34 (165 overall) in round five. That gives the Ravens nine total picks, although they did not have a pick in the 5th round prior to these two Compensatory ones. They now have single picks in rounds one through four, these two Compensatory Picks at the end of round five, two picks in the sixth round and one in the seventh.
The Ravens received the Compensatory Picks for the loss of defensive linemen Justin Bannan (to the Denver Broncos) and Dwan Edwards (to the Buffalo Bills). Bannan has since been released by the Broncos and has said he would love to return to the Ravens. It would be an interesting scenario if the team could end up with both Bannan as well as the extra pick in 2011.
The 32 Compensatory Picks that were awarded were given to 23 of the league's teams. The Carolina Panthers led with three picks and the Ravens were joined by six other teams with two picks. Since the 1994 season, the Ravens have been awarded more Compensatory Picks (31) than any other team in the NFL, even though they have not had picks the last two years.
(For the official NFL Press Release, with the formula that is followed for determining the picks that are awarded, click on the 'Jump')
NFL ANNOUNCES 32 COMPENSATORY DRAFT CHOICES TO 23 CLUBS
A total of 32 compensatory choices in the 2011 NFL Draft have been awarded to 23 teams, the NFL announced today.
Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.
The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four. The 32 compensatory choices announced today will supplement the 221 choices in the seven rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft (April 28-30), which will kick off in primetime for the second consecutive year.
The first round will be held on Thursday, April 28 and begin at 8:00 PM ET. The second and third rounds are set for Friday, April 29 at 6:00 PM ET followed by rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 30 at Noon ET.
This year, the compensatory picks will be positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.
Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.
Three clubs this year (Oakland, Seattle and New Orleans) will each receive a compensatory pick even though they did not suffer a net loss of compensatory free agents last year. Under the formula, the compensatory free agents lost by these clubs were ranked higher than the ones they signed (by a specified point differential based upon salary and performance).
Twenty-one compensatory picks were awarded to clubs based upon the compensatory pick formula. By rule, 11 additional choices were awarded at the end of the seventh round to bring the total number of compensatory selections to 32, equaling the number of NFL clubs. The 11 additional picks were awarded to Carolina, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Denver, Cleveland, Arizona, San Francisco, Tennessee, Dallas, Washington and Houston based upon the 2011 draft selection order.