The NFL is awarding a total of 33 compensatory picks to 15 teams for the 2026 draft. One of them is anything but ordinary, but the team has already traded it away.
The order of picks in the draft is generally based on the teams’ performance in the previous season. The worse a franchise performs, the earlier it gets to pick.

Trades also play a role, as picks can be traded for other picks or exchanged for players.

That is why, for example, four teams—the Atlanta Falcons, the Indianapolis Colts, the Green Bay Packers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars—do not have a first-round pick in the 2026 Draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh from April 23 to 25.

And then there are the so-called compensatory picks, which the NFL grants as compensation for losses during free agency. These are added to the end of rounds three through seven.

These picks are awarded to teams that, according to the league, suffered a net loss of compensatory free agents during the previous free agency period—meaning the value of their newly signed players did not match the value of the players they lost. If the number of players lost and the number of players signed is equal, the additional pick is added to the end of the seventh draft round.

To distribute the compensatory picks and rank them within the draft order, the league uses a formula based on salary, playing time, and postseason awards.

The rule is: No team may receive more than four compensatory picks per draft—this year, the Baltimore Ravens, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were awarded this maximum. However, the Steelers traded one of these picks, which now belongs to the Colts.

In total, the NFL will distribute 33 compensatory picks to 15 franchises in 2026.

There is one special case: At the end of the third round, the Detroit Lions are awarded a pick because they lost their then-defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn, to the New York Jets, who signed him as head coach. However, the Lions traded this pick in a deal with the Jaguars to acquire wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa in the 2025 draft.

The Lions’ compensatory pick stemmed from an amendment to the 2020 collective bargaining agreement designed to promote equal opportunity within teams. It stipulated that franchises would be rewarded if they lost an employee belonging to a minority group to another team as a head coach or senior football executive.

The earliest compensatory pick in 2026 goes to the Minnesota Vikings, who, among other losses, saw Sam Darnold leave for free agency. The quarterback subsequently joined the Seattle Seahawks and won the Super Bowl with the team.