Chiefs Get Good News With Compensatory Picks Projection

Even with the 2025 NFL Draft just behind us, we will look ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft and see what will happen nearly a year from now.

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off the 2025 draft last week, where they drafted well again. The Chiefs went after players who best fit their teams' needs. General manager Brett Veach did well with all the picks the Chiefs made. He has been one of the biggest reasons the Chiefs have been contenders since he got to Kansas City.

Now, looking ahead to the 2026 draft, we look at the projected compensatory picks that the Chiefs will receive next year.

The Chiefs received two compensatory picks in the 2025 draft and are projected to receive at least one in the 2026 draft. Here is why the Chiefs will get one extra pick in 2026.

• Projected compensatory picks: one in Round 7.
• Key free-agent losses: Tershawn Wharton (Panthers), Justin Reid (Saints), DeAndre Hopkins (Ravens)
• Key free-agent additions: Jaylon Moore, Kristian Fulton

The Chiefs lost one more projected qualifying free agent than they added. Hopkins’ departure to the Ravens on a modest contract should provide Kansas City a seventh-rounder.

Per NFL: The number of compensatory picks allotted each year is limited to the number of teams in the league (32), per the collective bargaining agreement. However, compensatory picks are not divided up equally among the teams, and no team can receive more than four compensatory picks in a single year. Teams that end up with more qualifying free agents lost than gained in a particular year are eligible to receive compensatory selections. A team that lost as many qualifying free agents as it gained might be eligible to receive a Round 7 compensatory pick, based on the value of the qualifying free agents it lost versus the value of the qualifying free agents it gained.

Teams are awarded compensatory draft picks between Rounds 3 and 7 based on a league formula that takes into account a player's average salary per year (APY), snap count and postseason awards. While there is an 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.

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