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Over at NFL.com, Lance Zierlein has a roundup of how many compensatory picks he thinks NFL teams will get in the 2019 NFL Draft tabbing the Los Angeles Rams to pick up three.
Projected compensatory picks: Two in Round 3; one in Round 7.
Key free-agent losses: WR Sammy Watkins (Chiefs), CB Trumaine Johnson (Jets), DB Cody Davis (Jaguars).
Key free-agent additions: None.
The skinny: While the Rams made some marquee additions this offseason, they did it via trade (Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib) and by signing a player (Ndamukong Suh) who was released by his previous team, so those moves won’t factor in the compensatory formula. The Rams lost Watkins and Johnson to big-money contracts, which should net them a couple of third-round compensatory picks. The departure of Davis puts them on track to also gain a seventh-round pick.
Sadly/strangely/unnecessarily, the NFL still maintains a private formula for compensatory picks:
Teams are awarded compensatory draft picks between rounds 3 and 7 based upon a formula, which is not released by the league, that takes into account a player’s average salary per year (APY), snap count and postseason awards. While there is a general expected level of compensation for a player based on the amount he has signed for, his playing time (or lack thereof) in the upcoming season could alter the expectation.
Adding two third-round picks would be a nice bump as the Rams are one of two teams with the least picks in the draft with just five along with the New Orleans Saints. The Rams sent their second-round pick along with a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft to the Chiefs for their 2018 sixth-round pick and CB Marcus Peters. They’re also without a seventh-round pick next spring having packaged it with ILB Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants for a fourth-round and sixth-round pick in this year’s draft.
As it stands without the comp picks which will be decided upon after the 2018 season is over (this year, they came in late February), here’s the Rams draft order next year:
2019 NFL Draft LA Rams Order
| Rd | # | Rd# | Pick | Player | POS | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rd | # | Rd# | Pick | Player | POS | School |
| 2 | 61 | 29 | Via Chiefs | Taylor Rapp | S | Washington |
| 3 | 70 | 6 | Via Buccaneers | Darrell Henderson | RB | Memphis |
| 3 | 79 | 15 | Via Falcons | David Long | CB | Michigan |
| 3 | 97 | 33 | Via Patriots | Bobby Evans | OL | Oklahoma |
| 4 | 134 | 32 | Via Patriots | Greg Gaines | DT | Washington |
| 5 | 169 | 31 | Rams pick | David Edwards | OT | Wisconsin |
| 7 | 243 | 29 | Via Patriots | Nick Scott | S | Penn State |
| 7 | 251 | 37 | Comp pick | Dakota Allen | LB | Texas Tech |