NFL awards 49ers league-high 7 compensatory draft picks
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer
The San Francisco 49ers added a league-high seven compensatory picks in next month’s NFL draft, giving them 11 total selections.
The NFL awarded 37 compensatory picks to 16 teams on Thursday for the upcoming draft on April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Picks are awarded to teams in the third-through-seventh rounds with 32 of the picks based on teams losing more or better free agents than they acquired last offseason and the other five given for minorities hired as head coaches or general managers for other organizations.
The 49ers got three of those five diversity picks in the end of the third round as rewards for developing Robert Saleh, Martin Mayhew, Mike McDaniel, Ran Carthon and DeMeco Ryans in the last three hiring cycles.
Cleveland and Kansas City got the other two diversity picks for general managers for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Ryan Poles.
The Super Bowl-champion Chiefs also got two picks through the free agency formula to give them three total comp picks.
San Francisco got the maximum four picks awarded through the free agency formula, with those selections coming at the fifth and sixth rounds, as well as two in the seventh.
The Niners turned a seventh-round compensatory pick last year into quarterback Brock Purdy, who helped San Francisco reach the NFC title game by winning his first seven starts as a rookie.
San Francisco won’t make its first pick until No. 99 near the end of the third around after giving away their first-rounder for Trey Lance and second and third-rounders for Christian McCaffrey.
The Rams added four compensatory picks through free agency, with Arizona and Dallas getting three; Green Bay, Las Vegas, New England, Tampa Bay, Washington and the Giants getting two each, Minnesota and New Orleans getting one.
Arizona and Washington got the only third-round picks based on free agency, with the Cardinals adding the 96th pick after losing receiver Christian Kirk, and Washington getting the 97th pick after losing guard Brandon Scherff.
Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.
Chicago and Houston got supplemental selections as the final two picks in the draft because only 30 picks were handed out through the free agency formula.
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