For the fifth year in a row, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not be partaking of the NFL's annual compensatory draft pick spread.
The NFL announced on Friday that a total of 33 compensatory picks had been awarded to 13 teams, a list that did not include the Buccaneers. This was not a surprise; these picks are based on net gains and losses in the previous year's free agency period, and Tampa Bay signed five unrestricted free agents in 2015 while losing three. It's not quite as simple of a formula as that – salary, playing time and postseason honors are all factored into how compensatory free agents are valued – but Bucs management had not expected to receive any additional selections this year.
The top 50 prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft class according to NFL Media analyst, Daniel Jeremiah.
- LB - Josh Perry, Ohio State
- CB - Artie Burns, Miami (Fla.)
- LB - Deion Jones, LSU
- DT - Sheldon Day, Notre Dame
- DE - Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma
- LB - Kyler Fackrell, Utah State
- OG - Cody Whitehair,Kansas State
- DT - Jonathan Bullard, Florida
- DT - Austin Johnson, Penn State
- DT - Kenny Clark, UCLA
- S - Vonn Bell, Ohio State
- WR - Josh Doctson,TCU
- DT - Chris Jones, Mississippi State
- RB - Devontae Booker,Utah
- S - Karl Joseph,West Virginia
- CB - William Jackson III, Houston
- RB - Derrick Henry, Alabama
- LB - Kamalei Correa, Boise State
- OG - Germain Ifedi,Texas A&M
- OT - Taylor Decker, Ohio State
- DE - Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky
- WR-William Fuller, Notre Dame
- QB - Paxton Lynch, Memphis
- DT - Vernon Butler, Louisiana Tech
- DT - Andrew Billings, Baylor
- DE - Shaq Lawson, Clemson
- DT - Sheldon Rankins, Louisville
- CB - Eli Apple, Ohio State
- CB - Meckensie Alexander, Clemson
- C - Ryan Kelly, Alabama
- OT - Jack Conklin, Michigan State
- DT - Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss
- LB - Leonard Floyd, Georgia
- DE - Kevin Dodd, Clemson
- WR - Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
- WR - Corey Coleman, Baylor
- DT- A'Shawn Robinson, Alabama
- DT - Jarran Reed, Alabama
- LB - Reggie Ragland, Alabama
- LB - Darron Lee, Ohio State
- OT - Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame
- CB- Vernon Hargreaves, Florida
- QB - Jared Goff, Cal
- QB - Carson Wentz, North Dakota
- RB - Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
- DT - DeForest Buckner, Oregon
- DE - Joey Bosa, Ohio State
- LB - Myles Jack, UCLA
- S - Jalen Ramsey, Florida State
- OT - Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss
What the Bucs did get on Friday was a little bit of draft-weekend clarity. With the addition of the 33 compensatory picks, the full 2016 draft order is now set. Compensatory picks are slotted at the end of Rounds 3-7 and thus affect the final placement of all picks in the last four rounds. Tampa Bay owns its own pick in each of the first six rounds plus the Washington Redskins' sixth-rounder, gained in last year's trade of safety Dashon Goldson.
The Buccaneers are slated to pick ninth in the first round of the 2016 draft, but for the remainder of the draft they will be in a rotation between the eighth and 11th spots with the Dolphins, Giants and Bears. Tampa Bay will move up to #8 in Round Two, then back to #11 in Round Three, and so on. Their eighth pick in the second round is actually #39 overall, not #40, because New England has forfeited its first-round pick.
Here is where the Buccaneers' seven picks are slotted in the 2016 draft:
|
Round |
Pick in Round |
Overall Pick |
|
1 |
9 |
9 |
|
2 |
8 |
39 |
|
3 |
11 |
74 |
|
4 |
10 |
108 |
|
5 |
9 |
148 |
|
6 |
8 |
183 |
|
6* |
22 |
197 |
The Buccaneers last owned a compensatory pick in 2011, when they used it in the seventh round on Idaho tight end Daniel Hardy. Overall, in 23 years of compensatory picks being awarded, the Buccaneers have been given 18 of them, which is tied for 19th most in the league. Baltimore leads the way with 47 compensatory picks, 10 more than Green Bay and Dallas, who are tied for second. Cleveland is last on the list with just nine comp picks in 23 years.
VIEW: BUCCANEERS' FUTURE OPPONENTS SET
Dallas, Baltimore and Green Bay are all on the comp list again in 2016. Dallas is getting four of them, tied with New England and San Francisco for the most. Baltimore has netted three more while Green Bay will get two. Detroit netted the top compensatory pick, thanks primarily to the loss of Ndamukong Suh last year, getting #95 overall at the end of the third round. New England, Seattle and Denver all got picks at the end of the third round, as well.
