National Football League

It's free! NFL awards compensatory picks for the 2014 Draft

Published Mar. 24, 2014 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sid Saraf

And with the 33rd pick in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft ... huh? Aren't there just 32 teams in the NFL.

Yes, people. It's a tradition that goes back a few years. Starting with the third round of every draft, a few teams are awarded extra picks. Why? We'll allow the NFL to explain it in a news release that came out on Monday:

"Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.

The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four. The 32 compensatory choices announced today will supplement the 224 choices in the seven rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft (May 8-10), which will kick off in primetime for the fifth consecutive year.

...

Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.

Everybody got that? OK, good, let's move on. So, which teams are getting extra picks in this year's draft? Let's break it down round by round, starting with the 33rd pick:

THIRD ROUND

33. Steelers, 34. Packers, 35. Ravens, 36. 49ers

FOURTH ROUND

33. Lions, 34. Ravens, 35. Texans, 36. Lions, 37. Jets, 38. Ravens, 39. Falcons, 40. Patriots

FIFTH ROUND

33. Steelers, 34. Giants, 35. Ravens, 36. Packers

SIXTH ROUND

33. Jets, 34. Jets, 35. Texans, 36. Bengals, 37. Jets, 38. Rams, 39. Steelers

SEVENTH ROUND

33. Cowboys, 34. Rams, 35. Rams, 36. Cowboys, 37. Bengals, 38. Falcons, 39. Cowboys, 40. Falcons, 41. Texans 

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