A total of 32 compensatory choices in the 2012 NFL Draft have been awarded to 15 teams, the NFL announced today, including a seventh-round compensatory pick for the Chargers.
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 (April 26-28), which will kick off in primetime for the third consecutive year.
The first round will be held on Thursday, April 26 and begin at 8:00 PM ET. The second and third rounds are set for Friday, April 27 at 7:00 PM ET followed by rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 28 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 (Atlanta, San Diego and Buffalo) 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).
Thirty compensatory picks were awarded to clubs based upon the compensatory pick formula. By rule, two 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 two additional picks were awarded to St. Louis and Indianapolis based upon the 2012 draft selection order.
