2012 NFL Draft: Breaking Down Compensatory Picks for Each Team

The NFL has announced that 15 teams have been rewarded with compensatory picks in April’s NFL draft.  

Between the teams there are 32 picks divided up, with the majority of them coming in the seventh round. The Oakland Raiders were given the highest compensatory pick with a third round selection.

How did the NFL figure out who gets what? NFL.com explains:

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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. Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.

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So how did your team do? Here is the full list of compensatory picks with suggestions on the best way to use them.

NFC

Dallas Cowboys- Fourth Rounder (No. 135)

Dallas is desperate for a Super Bowl and their window of opportunity is beginning to close. Landing a speedy and experienced player in the secondary is the smart move to make after addressing other parts of the defense earlier in the draft.

New York Giants- Fourth Rounder (No. 131)

The G-Men landed one of the best compensatory picks, and need to spend it on a running back to replace Brandon Jacobs.

Philadelphia Eagles- Zero picks

Washington Redskins- Zero picks

Atlanta Falcons- Seventh rounder (No. 249)

The Falcons lost tackle Harvey Dahl and could use more depth on the O-Line to keep QB Matt Ryan healthy.

Carolina Panthers- Sixth Rounder (No. 207)

The Panthers lost linebacker Matt Roth in free agency and it’s one of the big positions of need for Carolina. This is usually a spot where you can find hidden gems late in the draft on the defensive side of the ball.

New Orleans Saints- Zero picks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Zero picks

Chicago Bears- Zero picks

Detroit Lions- Zero picks

Green Bay Packers- 2 Fourth Rounder’s (No. 132, No. 133), 2 Seventh Rounder’s (No. 241, No. 243)

The Packers have to shore up one of the most disappointing defenses in the league and you can bet that three of the four picks will come on that side of the ball.

Minnesota Vikings- 2 Fourth Rounder’s (No. 128, No. 134)

The Vikes received two high picks and need to use them on the defensive side of the field a year after finishing 28^th in passing yards allowed.

Arizona Cardinals- Zero picks

San Francisco 49ers- Zero picks

Seattle Seahawks- Zero picks

St. Louis Rams- Seventh Rounder (No. 253)

The last pick awarded goes to a Rams team that needs a whole lot of help. Pick a position and they will potentially be looking to upgrade it with this pick.

AFC

Buffalo Bills- Seventh Rounder (No. 251)

The Bills lost both linebacker Paul Posluszny and corner Donte Whitner but gained Mario Williams. Shoring up secondary help is the right move with one of the last picks in the draft.

Miami Dolphins- Zero picks

New England Patriots- Zero picks

New York Jets- 2 Six Rounder’s (No. 202, No. 203) 2 Seventh Rounder’s (No. 242, No. 244)

The Jets have plenty of holes to fill on their aging team so landing four additional draft picks will surely help. They need to draft at least one linebacker and a backup running back with the four picks.

Baltimore Ravens- Fourth Rounder (No. 130) and Fifth Rounder (No. 169)

The Ravens are looking to beef up their receiving core after the Donte Stallworth experiment didn’t work, and could find a real steal in the fifth round of a deep wide receiving class.  

Cincinnati Bengals- Zero picks

Cleveland Browns- 2 Sixth Rounder’s (No. 204, No. 205) and 2 Seventh Rounder’s (No. 245, No. 247)

The Brownies have 14 picks in the draft and won’t be able to sign everybody on to the roster. The Browns need to use their abundance of picks in a trade to land some proven talent.

Pittsburgh Steelers- 3 Seventh Rounder’s (No. 240, No. 246, No. 248)

The Steelers are aging before our eyes on defense so shoring up the D-Line is essential. Expect the Steelers to use these picks on both defensive and offensive linemen.

Houston Texans- Zero picks

Indianapolis Colts- Fifth Rounder (No. 170) and Sixth Rounder (No. 206)

The youth movement is in full-force and stock piling depth on the O-Line should be the main priority with these selections.

Jacksonville Jaguars- Zero picks

Tennessee Titans- Zero picks

Denver Broncos- Zero picks

Kansas City Chiefs- Zero picks

Oakland Raiders- Third Rounder (No. 95) and Fifth Rounder (No. 168)

After trading away their top three picks, it’s huge for Oakland to land a selection in the top 100. They need to address their issues in the secondary immediately with one of the two picks.

San Diego Chargers- Seventh Rounder (No 250)

Not a whole lot you can do with one of the last picks in the draft, but the Chargers could certainly use the selection to beef up their depth on the offensive line. 

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