Raiders expected to land compensatory pick from offseason moves

The NFL’s compensatory draft pick formula is still taking shape, but the first step of the process is now complete.

By acquiring and losing free agents, NFL teams can mathematically decide what compensatory picks they are eligible to get. Variables such as playing time and postseason awards could raise or lower the compensation, but teams still have a rough idea of what picks they can add to their war chest. Some teams have the formula down to a science, willing to play the long game in free agency and attack it later in order to add some picks.

The Las Vegas Raiders, due to their moves in the offseason so far, are projected to have benefitted from this formula.

The Raiders are expected to gain a significant asset in the draft.

According to Over The Cap, the Raiders are expected acquire a compensatory fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Free agents the Raiders lost that were eligible to gain compensatory picks from were safety Tre’Von Moehrig, cornerback Nate Hobbs, and linebackers Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo. However, the additions of linebacker Elandon Roberts, cornerback Eric Stokes and safety Jeremy Chinn canceled out the latter three. That leaves Moehrig as the lone compensatory free agent loss, but his new contract with the Carolina Panthers puts him in the fourth-round pick range.

Again, it is important to note that the compensation the Raiders get is subject to change.

While the fourth-round pick is likely to remain in the possession of the Raiders, performance of the players the team got this offseason could dictate more of what they get. Some players the Raiders got could fall below the compensatory cutoff line, pushing the team further into losing more players than they gained. In that case, presumably, the Raiders would get an additional compensatory fifth-round selection from one of Hobbs or Spillane.

The Raiders emphasized a youth movement with their 11-man draft class, and adding another pick or two would go a long way towards continuing that trend.