Raiders Projected to Receive Two Compensatory Picks

The Las Vegas Raiders had a productive NFL Draft this year, with some of their best additions coming in the middle rounds.

That has also been the case for the Raiders over the last few seasons. Las Vegas is projected to receive compensatory picks in the draft next season. The league considers many factors when determining the amount of compensatory picks teams will get each season. 

NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein explained the process in a recent NFL.com article where he projected every team's 2025 compensatory draft picks.

“The number of compensatory picks allotted each year is limited to the number of teams in the league (32), per the collective bargaining agreement,” Zierlein said. “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. To qualify for compensatory picks, teams must end up with more qualifying free agents lost than gained in a particular year.”

The good news for the Raiders is the picks fall in rounds they have had much more success at drafting players in -- the third through seventh rounds of the draft.

“Teams are awarded compensatory draft picks between Rounds 3 and 7 of the draft based upon a league formula that takes into account a player's average salary per year (APY), snap count, and postseason awards,” Zierlein said. “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.”

Zierlein projects the Raiders to receive two compensatory draft picks in next year’s draft based on the additions and subtractions the Raiders have made this offseason. The Raiders could use as many picks as possible next season as they would be entering Year 2 under General Manager Tom Telesco and Coach Antonio Pierce.

Based on his history elsewhere and the draft the Raiders recently had, Telesco has shown he can find serviceable additions in the later rounds of the draft. The compensatory picks could eventually pan out well for the Raiders.

“The losses of [Josh] Jacobs and [Bilal] Nichols end up being canceled out by the additions of [Christian] Wilkins and [Gardner] Minshew as qualifying free agents, while [Harrison] Bryant’s contract cancels the loss of [Austin] Hooper,” Zierlein said. “That figures to leave the Raiders with two sixth-round selections based on the compensatory pick formula.”

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.