'15 draft

I'm not completely sure I understand compensatory picks but:

Losing Browner and potentially Bennett and/or Tate and/or Haushka and or TJack, what kind of comp picks would those players net? (I'd assume Thurmond McDaniel McDonald MRob... don't count much because they're not making much, is that how it works?) It just seems like we'll be losing several more FAs than we pick up because of the youth movement.

I know this varies depending on any FAs we pick up. It seems like all of those guys would get a reasonable/high contract somewhere else so could we land 3rd rounders for one or more of them? Does anyone know some comparisons that might be relevant from last year?

... and they'd be for next year's draft 2015, correct?

it depends on how much money our free agents sign for elsewhere and the net gain or loss of those free agents versus who we sign. The compensatory formula is secret, but dollars and numbers of players are the primary drivers. Browner getting reinstated was good news from a compensatory pick standpoint, though he's probably a 7th round level of pick, since he'll not command much with the 4 game suspension

Picks aren't allotted for individual players. Overall, the formula has never been publicized. However some outsiders have been able to get the math very close to correct.

First and foremost, you have a few global rules:

There are only 32 compensatory picks awarded in a single year. No more. No less.

No team can have more than 4 compensatory picks.

Veterans of 10+ years lost cannot grade higher than 5th round comp grade.

While not a known global rule -- no team who has signed more UFAs than they lost has ever been awarded a comp pick. Comp picks have always been net loss of 0 players or more.

In general, the formula goes:

Avg. yearly salary * playing time adjustment * postseason honors adj. = qualifying round value

The average salary is by far the biggest factor in determining the round value.

In terms of how the selections are awarded overall it goes:

1. Determine qualifying round for all signed free agents lost and gained
2. Gained qualifiers cancel out the highest rated loss of the same round or less.

So for example. If you lose three UFAs

(a) graded a 3rd round pick
(b) graded a fifth round pick
(c) graded a 7th round pick

and you signed

(d) graded a 4th
(e) graded a 7th


The cancellation would work D cancels B, E cancels C. The team would be left with a 3rd round pick.

This is the formula where there is a net loss. If we added a (f) gain graded a 7th round qualifier then the rules change.

The team would be left with a single 7th round selection. And that 7th round comp pick would come after all 7th round comp picks awarded to teams where a net loss occurred. If you gain what you lose, you only get a 7th and the worst of the batch at that. Although the order appears to be set by the highest grade loss.

Not all years have 32 comp picks awarded by UFA losses. In those years, there are as many comp picks added at the end of the 7th round to equal 32. Those picks are awarded to teams as if there were an 8th round in the draft.