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We're a little more than a month out from compensatory picks being officially assigned during the owners' meeting March 23-26, but this projection from compensatory guru Craig Turner should have you circling those owners' meeting dates on your calendar now.
Per his projections, the Rams pick up the maximum four-pick haul, three in the seventh round (thanks to the Rob Turner, Craig Dahl and Bradley Fletcher moves) and a sixth rounder stemming from the Brandon Gibson departure.
The process for awarding compensatory picks is rather bewildering, but here they are for the process-oriented among you:
1. Lost players that are cut or not tendered as RFAs and ERFAs do not qualify.
2. Lost players that were picked up during the season the year before do not qualify.
3. Signed players that are released before midseason do not qualify.
4. Players earning low minimum salaries do not qualify.
5. Each player signed cancels out one player lost.
6. The round of the pick awarded is primarily determined by the annual value of the contract signed. Signed players cancel out lost players with equal contracts, then lower contracts, before canceling out higher contracts.
Okay then.
Throw in the 7th round pick the Rams pick up from the Josh Gordy trade to Indianapolis, and the Rams would be set up to have their most active day 3 since...well, it's been a while.
Last year, the Rams sold their way out of the final two rounds. GM Les Snead had some success in 2012 with K Greg Zuerlein and RB Daryl Richardson, but the previous administration ended up with a pretty bleachable day 3 track record. Let's take a look at the 6th and 7th round picks from the past two regimes (sobbing optional):
| Round | Pick (ovr) | Player | POS | Status |
| 2013 | ||||
| N/A | ||||
| 2012 | ||||
| 6 | 1 (171) | Greg Zuerlein | K | LEGATRON |
| 7 | 2 (209) | Aaron Brown | OLB | ? |
| 7 | 45 (252) | Daryl Richardson | RB | Signed w/ Rams through 2015 |
| 2011 | ||||
| 7 | 13 (216) | Mikail Baker | CB | Last seen with the Chiefs (no photo available...) |
| 7 | 25 (228) | Jabara Williams | OLB | Last seen with the Cowboys (photo available) |
| 7 | 26 (229) | Jonathan Nelson | CB | Last seen with the Panthers |
| 2010 | ||||
| 6 | 1 (170) | Fendi Onobun | TE | Chicago Bears practice squad |
| 6 | 20 (189) | Eugene Sims | DE | Signed w/ Rams through 2015 |
| 7 | 4 (211) | Marquis Johnson | CB | Last seen with the Saints |
| 7 | 19 (226) | George Selvie | DE | Signed w/ Cowboys through 2014 |
| 7 | 47 (254) | Josh Hull | LB | Signed w/ Redskins through 2014 |
| 2009 | ||||
| 6 | 23 (196) | Keith Null | QB | Last seen with the Panthers |
| 7 | 2 (211) | Chris Ogbonnaya | RB | Signed w/ Browns through 2014 |
| 2008 | ||||
| 7 | 21 (228) | Chris Chamberlain | LB | Last seen suing the Saints...seriously |
| 7 | 45 (252) | David Vobora | OLB | Last seen with the Seahawks...still trying to get a hold of the settlement he won from supplement huckster and all-around scumbag Mitch Ross |
It ended badly, but there are some hits in there. And with such a small sample size to work with from Les Snead, who knows what he'll be able to do that late in the process.
But as always, when it comes to late day 3 picks, more is actually more.