The great Gil Brandt tweeted a list of the teams with the most compensatory draft picks since 1994. Taking a look at what teams wound up with the most picks and who some of them turned out to be.
Los Angeles Chargers 20 picks
The Chargers selected JaTavis Brown in the fifth round (175th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. Brown was the first linebacker drafted from Akron. He also became the 15th player drafted from Akron since the inception of the NFL Draft in 1936. In 2018, he posted a career-high 97 tackles and he has 265 total tackles in his NFL career.
Tampa Bay Bucs 20
Kendall Beckwith made a strong impression with the Bucs as a rookie in 2017. He started 11 games, making 73 tackles with a sack and a forced fumble. Seven of his tackles were for a loss and he deflected two passes as well. He suffered a season-ending injury in a car accident in 2018 and is going to miss his second straight season.
Oakland Raiders 21
The Oakland Raiders drafted La’Roi Glover with the 34th pick in the fifth round of the 1996 draft. Glover spent a year on the Oakland roster before becoming a superstar in New Orleans and Dallas. He was a six-time Pro Bowler, and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2000.
Detroit Lions 21
Taken 132nd overall in 2013 NFL out of South Carolina, Devin Taylor played in 14 games as a rookie and started a pair. From 2015-16, he had 11.5 sacks, 22 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
Atlanta Falcons 21
A compensatory pick at the end of the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft, Thomas DeCoud played six seasons for the Atlanta Falcons. From 2009-14, DeCoud was a productive player at free safety. He accounted for 292 tackles, 14 interceptions, and four forced fumbles. He made the Pro Bowl in 2012 when he had a career-high six interceptions and nine pass breakups.
Miami Dolphins 22
A rare second-round compensatory player, Tim Ruddy was taken by the Miami Dolphins with the 65th overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft. The Notre Damer developed into one of the better interior offensive linemen in the NFL in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s, earning a Pro Bowl nod in the 2000 season.
Indianapolis Colts 23
This was San Francisco’s pick until the 49ers traded up for a running back who never played a down for the team (Joe Williams). Marlon Mack, meanwhile, has become the Colts’ feature back after being taken in the fourth round. Mack was the first running back to be drafted from the University of South Florida and was the 15th running back drafted in 2017. He was the 28th USF player to be selected in the history of the NFL Draft.
Minnesota Vikings 24
A fourth-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft (128th overall), Rhett Ellison played five seasons for the Minnesota Vikings as a versatile fullback/tight end and signed as a free agent after that with the New York Giants.
Kansas City Chiefs 25
Dustin Colquitt was drafted out of Tennessee by the Chiefs in 2005, and has played all but two games of his NFL career since. Colquitt has been named to two Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs.
Arizona Cardinals 26
The Cardinals selected Pat Tillman in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Tillman finished his career with totals of 340 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions for 37 yards, 3 forced fumbles, 15 pass deflections, and 3 fumble recoveries in 60 career games. In May 2002, after completing the 15 remaining games of the 2001 season that followed the 9/11 attacks, Tillman turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million over three years from the Cardinals to enlist in the U.S. Army. Tillman joined the Army Rangers and served several tours in combat before he was killed in the mountains of Afghanistan.
New York Giants 28
Ahmad Bradshaw is a two-time Super Bowl champion, winning Super Bowls XLII and XLVI as a member of the New York Giants, defeating the New England Patriots in both Super Bowls. He was the leading rusher in each game, becoming one of eight running backs in NFL history to be the leading rusher in two Super Bowls. David Tyree also was a compensatory pick of the Giants.
Buffalo Bills 28
Sam Rogers was the 64th overall selection in the 1994 NFL Draft out of Colorado, and had a solid career with three teams. He wound up with with 378 tackles and 30 sacks, and had the best year of his career when he played in all 16 games in 1999, racking up 68 tackles, three tackles for loss, and eight tackles for loss.
Tennessee Titans 30
The Titans have had 30 compensatory picks and the first might have been the best. Peter Sirmon arrived in the fourth round from Oregon. He served as a backup his first two seasons before elevating to the starting lineup in 2002. He had quite the first impression that year with 93 tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions. The Titans reached the AFC Championship Game that year. He would end up playing four seasons as a starter for them, amassing 346 tackles.
San Francisco 49ers 31
The Niners’ have had a slew of compensatory picks but none leap out as great choices. Ray McDonald became a troubled person. During his time with the Niners, he spent eight seasons with the team, compiling 19.5 sacks and 210 tackles.
Seattle Seahawks 32
In the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco after the 2013 season, Malcolm Smith caught a pass deflected by Richard Sherman that put the game away. Two weeks later, he picked off Peyton Manning for a touchdown that broke the Super Bowl open. He was named game MVP. Pretty good stuff for a seventh-round pick, No. 242 overall. \
Pittsburgh Steelers 33
Hines Ward was a third-round pick in 1998 and would become a mainstay of the Pittsburgh offense for the next 14 seasons. During that time he compiled 12,000 yards, 85 touchdowns, and two Super Bowl rings. You can also throw in others like Mike Vrabel and James Conner.
Philadelphia Eagles 35
In 1996, Philadelphia used a second-round compensatory pick — 61st overall — to grab Brian Dawkins out of Clemson. They got a Hall of Famer who went to nine Pro Bowls, intercepted 37 passes, and sacked the quarterback 26 times.
Cincinnati Bengals 35
The Bengals chose Caldwell in the third round (ninety-seventh overall pick) in the 2008 draft, and played for the Bengals for four seasons. As a Bengal, he made 124 of his 156 NFL receptions.
Los Angeles Rams 37
Brandon Manumaleuna was taken by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round (129th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. He had 1,008 career receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Oh, and in 2005, the Rams took a QB out of Harvard named Ryan Fitzpatrick who has had a pretty incredible run throughout his career in the NFL.
Green Bay Packers 42
The Packers got Josh Sitton with a fourth-round comp pick in 2008. He helped the Packers win the Super Bowl in the 2011 season and was named to four Pro Bowls in his career, three with the Packers and one after he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears. Mike Daniels was a fourth-rounder in 2012. He made his only Pro Bowl in 2017 and has been a consistent run-stuffer on Green Bay’s defensive line since joining the club in 2012. Blake Martinez was also a fourth-rounder in 2016. He’s led the Packers in tackles and is tops in the league since 2017.
New England Patriots 43
Tom Brady was a comp pick. Sixth-rounder. Amazing.
Dallas Cowboys 43
A couple names pop for the Cowboys’ top comp picks. One is the 46th overall pick in 1994. Dallas chose guard Larry Allen out of Sonoma State. He became a dominant force up front, retiring with 11 Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring. Dak Prescott was also a comp pick, a fourth-rounder out of Mississippi State. That’s good choosing and scouting.
Baltimore Ravens: 53
Sam Koch played his college ball Nebraska and was selected by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and he’s been with the team since. One that got away is Kyle Juszczyk , a fourth-rounder from Harvard in 2013. He has four Pro Bowl appearances, and a four-year contract that averages $5.3 million per year.
The 2020 comp pick list
Round 3
97. Houston Texans
98. New England Patriots
99. New York Giants
100. New England Patriots
101. Seattle Seahawks
102. Pittsburgh Steelers
103. Philadelphia Eagles
104. Los Angeles Rams
105. Minnesota Vikings
106. Baltimore Ravens
Round 4
139. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
140. Chicago Bears
141. Miami Dolphins
142. Washington Redskins
143. Baltimore Ravens
144. Seattle Seahawks
145. Philadelphia Eagles
146. Philadelphia Eagles
Round 5
178. Denver Broncos
179. Dallas Cowboys
Round 6
212. New England Patriots
213. New England Patriots
214. Seattle Seahawks
Round 7
247. New York Giants
248. Houston Texans
249. Minnesota Vikings
250. Houston Texans
251. Miami Dolphins
252. Denver Broncos
253. Minnesota Vikings
254. Denver Broncos
255. New York Giants
