Comp picks? What’s a comp pick in the National Football League

I was reading recently about compensatory draft picks in the NFL. It was really the first that I had heard of them. So I thought taht some of the rest of you pro football fans might not know about them either. Or maybe you do, but I thoutht that I’d tell you about them.

A compensatory draft pick in the National Football League works like this. A team that loses a free agent, but doesn’t replace him with a free agent from another NFL team is awarded a compensatory draft pick by the NFL. The league awards the comp picks by a secret, guarded formula that is protected even closer than the Coca Cola formula. But overall the highest selection that a football team can get with a comp pick is a draft pick at the end of the third round.

So you might have known this already. But did you know the following? During the last ten years, the teams that had the most comp picks have reached the Super Bowl at a much higher rate than those that had the fewest comp picks. Who are some of those teams? The Cowboys, the Ravens, and the Patriots to name just a few. Who are some of the teams with the fewest comp picks? How about the Jets, Texans, and the Saints to name a few. And the New England Patriots might be the king of the comp picks. Which NFL All Pro did they get with one of these picks? How about Tom Brady.

So is there a message in here? I think so. I have heard people say that free agency has ruined the pro football game. But reading about these compensatory picks, it appears that the football teams that run their business the smart way come out on top more often. And that the teams that try to buy a quick fix don’t find long lasting success.