Although the 2021 NFL Draft is just over three months away, there are many details that are beginning to take shape. Yes, it is true, the positions of the teams still in competition have yet to be defined. However, each team is doing the math for so-called compensatory picks. And, of course, the Cowboys are on the job, too.
In fact, and according to the calculations of specialists in the matter, Dallas could have a maximum of four compensatory selections in the next Draft. This would translate into a total of 10 picks in this year’s Draft. Recall that last November, the Cowboys gave up their sixth-round pick to the Lions in the trade that brought defensive end Everson Griffen to Detroit.
The Cowboys should have 10 Picks in the 2021 Draft.
(Thanks to @nickkorte and @dtsturner for helping me piece it together)
Rounds:
1
2
3
Compensatory 3
4
Compensatory 4
Compensatory 5
6 (Everson Griffen Trade / Lions)
7
Compensatory 7— Cowboys Nation (@CowboysNation) January 4, 2021
What are offset picks?
First of all, what are comp picks in the draft? And how are they defined?
Compensating picks are additional selections awarded to teams in the Draft. This is defined based on the players qualified as “compensatory free agents” that the teams lost and signed in the previous season. The number of compensating picks can range from one to four per team, and these usually fall between rounds 3 and 7 of the Draft.
Now how is this determined? This is done through a formula that is managed by the league based on factors such as the player’s salary, the length of time played during the season and whether he makes the postseason with his new team. To get a clearer idea: the higher the salary of the player in question, the higher the compensatory pick round.
As we mentioned before, these compensatory picks can take place from the third round to the last of the Draft, right after the normal selections. For example: after all 32 teams have made their selections from round 3, compensatory picks for that round would take place before moving on to round 4. And so on.
When are compensating picks defined? Usually this is known at the NFL annual meeting at the end of March, three to four weeks before the Draft. Therefore, we will have to wait until those dates to find out if the Cowboys will indeed have four compensatory selections this year.
An important aspect is that these compensatory selections can also be exchanged. With the introduction of this rule in Draft 2017, teams can use these extra picks as a bargaining chip to obtain strategic picks in the Draft according to their needs.
Cowboys compensatory pick projections
As you would expect in the NFL world, there are websites and professionals specialized in giving projections about the possible compensatory picks in each Draft. However, this year it is expected that there will be changes in the formula used by the NFL, these due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, some specialists on the OverTheCap.com website offered a projection of where the Cowboys would be with respect to those selections. And sure enough, the cowboy team could have 4 compensatory picks.
Per @Jason_OTC & @nickkorte the Cowboys should have Compensatory Picks in Rounds 3, 4, 5, 6 in the 2021 Draft. pic.twitter.com/aOurky8COV
— Cowboys Nation (@CowboysNation) January 4, 2021
Last offseason, the Cowboys lost seven players to free agents: Byron Jones, Robert Quinn, Randall Cobb, Jeff Heath, Maliek Collins, Jason Witten and Xavier Su’a-Filo. On the other hand, they managed to sign Greg Zuerlein, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Gerald McCoy. Following the formula used by the NFL, these three arrivals would offset the departures of Collins, Witten and Su’a-Filo.
Therefore, the Cowboys would have four uncompensated starts, and this would come in this year’s Draft. Specifically, this would occur in rounds 3, 4, 5 and 6. However, some experts believe that the last compensatory selection would take place in the seventh round rather than the sixth.
If this number of compensatory picks is confirmed, the Cowboys would have more opportunities to reinforce themselves with young talent heading into next season. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the cowboy team decides to trade with another team, or to keep all their compensatory selections.
