EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — If Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman is looking to wheel and deal during next month's NFL draft, he just got some more ammunition.
As the team was expecting, the NFL awarded Minnesota two more picks in the fourth round as compensation for losing Sidney Rice, Ray Edwards, Tarvaris Jackson and Ben Leber last offseason. The Vikings now have 10 picks in the April 26-28 draft, the same total they had last season, when nine of the draftees spent time on the active roster.
The NFL announced the compensatory picks during the league meetings on Monday. Minnesota received the 33rd (128th overall) and 39th picks (134rd overall) in the fourth round, The team earned the second highest compensatory pick and two of the top eight passed out. Oakland earned a third-round selection. Compensatory picks can't be traded, but it does offer more room for Spielman to use his other picks to move if he sees fit.
The fourth round has also been a fruitful one for the Vikings. In 2006, they drafted Ray Edwards, who started 58 games in his five seasons for Minnesota. Spielman was in town for the 2007 draft and the team has added defensive Brian Robison, who started all 16 games last season in place of Edwards, defensive end Everson Griffen and defensive tackle Christian Ballard in the fourth round since then.
The Vikings have their own pick in each round except for the sixth, which they traded to Washington Redskins for Donovan McNabb. They also added a sixth-rounder when they traded defensive end Jayme Mitchell to the Cleveland Browns and received a seventh-rounder from the New England Patriots in the ill-fated Randy Moss trade two seasons ago. Minnesota now has one pick in each of the first three rounds, three in the fourth, one in the fifth and sixth and two in the seventh.
According to an NFL release, the number of compensatory picks is determined by a formula which accounts for a net loss, from teams losing more or better free agents in the previous year than it signed. A team can receive up to four possible compensatory picks.
The Green Bay Packers were one of three teams to receive four picks, after losing Daryn Colledge, Korey Hall, Brandon Jackson, Cullen Jenkins and Jason Spitz last offseason. The Packers earned two picks in the fourth round (132nd and 133rd overall) and two in the seventh round.
Minnesota's selections were determined by losing Edwards, Leber, Jackson and Rice and the signings of Remi Ayodele and Charlie Johnson.
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