Broncos expected to get high compensatory picks in 2016
The Denver Broncos are expected to get high compensatory selections for the 2016 NFL Draft, which will be awarded at the Scouting Combine…
The Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos know where they will be picking in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rounds (31st, 63rd, and 95th) respectively, but what about after that?
With the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine kicking off in Indianapolis this week, compensatory draft picks should be announced soon, and the Broncos will be the recipients of some high ones, per Over The Cap’s projections.
Having lost certain players in free agency, the Broncos are entitled to compensatory picks because they didn’t spend very much money on unrestricted free agents last year. For example, tight end Julius Thomas had the highest average salary per year of any UFA signed last offseason, and therefore is projected to net the Broncos a third round compensatory pick.
The formula for projecting compensatory picks is complicated but at the same time seems pretty easy to understand, and it’s clear that the Broncos are going to cash in this year.
The pick for Julius Thomas could be a 3rd or 4th rounder, and hopefully the Broncos are able to cash in on the Patriots’ deflategate by netting the former. Because of the Patriots’ scandalous ways, the Broncos are picking one spot higher in every round than they are supposed to be, and the additional spot opened up in the 3rd round has paved the way for another compensatory pick to be included in prior to the start of the fourth round.
The Broncos should be getting the 99th overall pick in the draft, giving them four in the top 100, but that remains to be seen.
Other departed free agents who will be paying it forward to the Broncos this year include Orlando Franklin, who is projected to net the Broncos their second straight 4th round compensatory pick. Last year, the Broncos were awarded a fourth round pick for the departure of Zane Beadles, and they wound up taking Max Garcia, an offensive lineman from Florida.
Defensive lineman Terrance Knighton is also expected to net the Broncos a 6th or 7th round compensatory selection after signing a one-year, $4 million deal with the Washington Redskins.
As it stands right now, here are the rounds the Broncos are projected to have picks in, the compensatory projections italicized…
1st
2nd
3rd
3rd
4th
5th (from BAL)
6th
7th (from SF)
7th (from LA via HOU)
7th
We’ll see what happens, but hopefully the departed free agents will help the Broncos cash in on some compensatory picks.