Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders Get Richer with Compensatory Draft Picks

I think by now you've sensed that I believe the best way to build a team in today's NFL is through the draft. Draft picks should be the lifeblood of any franchise serious about providing quality depth from the top of the roster down to the 53rd spot.

Today, the NFL provided some ammunition for teams to use on draft day by awarding 32 compensatory draft picks to 15 teams. 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 2012 NFL draft.

The NFL management council developed the formula to determine compensatory free agents based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula does not cover every free-agent signing. 

Here is a complete list of compensatory picks along with a listing of players teams lost to net those picks.

To me, the big winners on the list are the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders. The Browns, who received four picks, need an infusion of talent up and down their roster—the more chances they have at finding a player, the better.

Meanwhile, the Raiders received the highest pick awarded by landing the only third-round selection, along with additional picks in the fourth and fifth rounds. The previous regime left new general manager Reggie McKenzie bereft of draft picks; any additional stab at selecting young new talent is a real blessing for McKenzie in his first draft as man in charge.