If you've been trying to put together a seven-round mock draft, you can now officially do that, because we know the order for all 256 picks in April's NFL Draft.
The NFL handed out 32 compensatory picks to a total of 15 teams on Friday. Although the exact formula the league uses to award picks hasn't been released, we do know that it basically comes down to this: a team that loses more or better free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.
Using that "formula," the big winners this year were the Patriots, Cardinals and Redskins, who all received four extra picks. Thanks to their four new picks, the Patriots now have 12 total selections in the 2019 NFL Draft. Bill Belichick definitely knows how to work in the system.
The Bengals (3), Rams (3), Vikings (3), Falcons (2) and Eagles (2) were the only other teams that received multiple compensatory picks. The highest awarded pick went to the Redskins, who were given the 96th overall selection in the draft after losing Kirk Cousins in free agency. The Rams and Patriots were the only two teams that received multiple third-round picks. Thanks to their two compensatory picks, the Patriots will now have six picks over the first two days of the draft. Did I mention that Belichick knows how to work the system?
One other twist with compensatory picks is that teams are actually allowed to trade them this year. Trading compensatory picks was illegal until two years ago when the NFL decided to change the rule and allow teams to swap picks. The 2017 draft was the first time that trading compensatory picks was allowed.
As for this year's draft, it's set for April 25-27 and will be held in Nashville.
Here's the full list of compensatory picks that were awarded:
| Round | Overall | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 96 | Washington |
| 97 | New England | |
| 98 | L.A. Rams | |
| 99 | L.A. Rams | |
| 100 | Carolina | |
| 101 | New England | |
| 102 | Baltimore | |
| 4 | 135 | Indianapolis |
| 136 | Dallas | |
| 137 | Atlanta | |
| 138 | Philadelphia | |
| 5 | 171 | N.Y. Giants |
| 172 | Atlanta | |
| 173 | Washington | |
| 6 | 205 | New England |
| 206 | Washington | |
| 207 | Arizona | |
| 208 | Philadelphia | |
| 209 | Minnesota | |
| 210 | Cincinnati | |
| 211 | Cincinnati | |
| 212 | San Francisco | |
| 213 | Cincinnati | |
| 214 | Kansas City | |
| 7 | 247 | Minnesota |
| 248 | Arizona | |
| 249 | Arizona | |
| 250 | Minnesota | |
| 251 | L.A. Rams | |
| 252 | New England | |
| 253 | Washington | |
| 254 | Arizona |
And here's how many picks each team was awarded:
| Team | Total |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 4 |
| New England | 4 |
| Washington | 4 |
| Cincinnati | 3 |
| L.A. Rams | 3 |
| Minnesota | 3 |
| Atlanta | 2 |
| Philadelphia | 2 |
| Baltimore | 1 |
| Carolina | 1 |
| Dallas | 1 |
| Indianapolis | 1 |
| Kansas City | 1 |
| N.Y. Giants | 1 |
| San Francisco | 1 |
