Hearing increasing buzz around the Falcons facility and the media at large the Falcons could be learning what compensatory picks they’ll receive in the 2010 NFL Draft Monday.
At his postseason press conference, General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said he estimates three compensatory selections in the Draft, which would bring the Falcons total to nine.
Compensatory picks are awarded by the NFL to compensate teams for free agent losses in the previous year. The practice started in 1994 when the current form of free agency took root. The idea is that, in order to maintain competitive balance, teams that have players signed away need to replace them with comparable talent.
Atlanta did not receive a compensatory pick last season but was awarded a third-round choice in the 2008 Draft. The club has been awarded eight comp picks since 1994.
Players lost by the team in free agency before 2009 include Keith Brooking, Domonique Foxworth, Michael Boley and Grady Jackson.
Click here for an earlier discussion on compensatory picks.
6 Comments
When will we know, Monday the 29th?
When will we know, Monday the 29th?
No, Monday as in today. At least that’s what signs are pointing to.
Why is it a mystery? Shouldn’t it be a regularly scheduled event?
Who did we lose in 2008 to get a 3rd rounder? And do you think our loses this year are equivalent to that?
Who did we lose in 2008 to get a 3rd rounder? And do you think our loses this year are equivalent to that?
It's all based on a formula the league doesn't reveal, but it's somewhat based on playing time and playoff advancement of the players that were lost. Foxworth, Brooking and Boley were considered starters. Foxworth and Brooking also went to the playoffs. A third isn't out of the realm of possibility. Multiple pics can also come into play since the Falcons did not sign many free agents to offset what was lost.
“Who did we lose in 2008 to get a 3rd rounder? And do you think our loses this year are equivalent to that?”
The compensatory picks are based on players lost the previous offseason. The Falcons received the 3rd round compensatory pick in 2008 for losing Patrick Kerney in 2007.
The third rounder this year was for losing Domonique Foxworth, and the fifth rounder was for Michael Boley. Whether the losses are equivalent in terms of player quality is subjective. But the comp picks are mainly based on the contracts the players receive from their new teams. Foxworth got paid.
One other note: JMike, you mentioned that the Falcons had been awarded eight compensatory picks since 1994. We should add that the 3rd rounder the team had back in 1994 was actually “awarded” to the Broncos rather than the Falcons.
In those days teams were allowed to trade compensatory picks. The Falcons received it from Denver as part of the Mike Pritchard trade. After that, the team only had four more compensatory picks (all seventh rounders) during the Ken Herock and Dan Reeves years.
Five of our ten total compensatory picks have been in the last five years, as a result of losing Kevin Shaffer and Barry Stokes in 2006 (receiving fourth and seventh round picks, used to select Martrez Milner and Jason Snelling), Patrick Kerney in 2007 (third round pick used to select Thomas Decoud), and now Foxworth and Boley.