Cardinals awarded a compensatory fifth-round draft pick
Feb 24, 2017, 1:34 PM | Updated: 1:45 pm
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, left, and general manager Steve Keim watch practice at the NFL football team's training camp, Friday, July 29, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
The NFL announced Friday that the Arizona Cardinals had been awarded one compensatory pick in the upcoming draft.
The pick, which is in the fifth round, will be No. 181 overall.
The NFL doles out compensatory picks based on teams losing and signing free agents. If a team loses more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires, it will be eligible for extra picks. Not every free agent falls under the compensatory umbrella.
According to the NFL, the Cardinals were one of four teams who were eligible to receive more than one pick, but the CBA limites the number of picks given out to the number of teams in the league, which is 32. The Cardinals, along with the Rams, Packers and Steelers will not receive those picks “because the final numerical values of the CFAs who were lost by those clubs ranked 33rd through 39th among the final numerical values of all compensatory selections.”
The compensatory-level free agents the Cardinals lost included safety Rashad Johnson, lineman Ted Larsen, tackles Bobby Massie and Bradley Sowell, cornerback Corey White and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. Conversely, they signed safety Tyvon Branch and guard Evan Mathis.
The Cardinals, who hold the 13th overall pick in the draft, currently hold eight selections overall.
