NEW YORK, March 23 (UPI) -- The NFL awarded a total of 32 compensatory picks in the upcoming draft to teams that lost more free agents than they signed.
The selections are added to the end of rounds, with three extra picks due for the third round when Cincinnati, Tennessee and Atlanta will make choices and one after the fourth, when Cincinnati has another compensatory turn, the league said Monday.
The NFL ordered six extra picks each for the fifth and sixth rounds and 16 after the seventh.
NFL agreements say a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks. A league formula involving salary, playing time and other factors determines the selection round.
The New England Patriots have been awarded four compensatory picks, one in the sixth round and three in the seventh. Carolina, Pittsburgh and Tennessee will each make three extra selections.
With the compensatory picks added, the NFL will see a total of 255 players selected during the NFL draft April 22-24 in New York.
