49ers Lead Way with Draft Picks

The NFL awarded 37 compensatory draft picks on Thursday for next month’s annual draft, with the San Francisco 49ers gaining a league-high seven selections.

The Niners received more compensatory picks than any other team one year after they tied with their NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, for the most additional selections given ahead of the 2022 draft with five.

San Francisco was handed four picks based on the league’s compensatory free agent formula and another three based on several minority coaching and front-office members who have earned jobs with other teams. The NFL maintains a confidential “net-loss” formula — which factors in salary, playing time and postseason honors — to decide how to dole out the compensatory picks, but it’s partly based on teams that lose certain unrestricted free agents to another team receive a compensatory pick the following year. Additional picks are awarded to teams that have a minority coach or executive hired by a different club for the same role or a higher-ranking one. The Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs also added one pick each based on minorities who advanced to other organizations.

Exactly half of the league’s 32 franchises added at least one selection for the draft that runs from April 27-29 in Kansas City. The Arizona Cardinals received the highest compensatory selection, the No. 96 overall pick in the third round. After the 49ers drafted quarterback Brock Purdy with the final pick in last year’s draft at 262nd overall, the Houston Texans currently hold the final pick in the draft at No. 259 — with the player chosen earning the title of “Mr. Irrelevant.”

List of 2022 NFL Draft compensatory picks:

Round 3: No. 96 Arizona Cardinals No. 97 Washington Commanders No. 98 Cleveland Browns No. 99 San Francisco 49ers No. 100 Kansas City Chiefs No. 101 San Francisco 49ers No. 102 San Francisco 49ers

Round 4 No. 135 New England Patriots

Round 5 No. 167 Los Angeles Rams No. 168 Arizona Cardinals No. 169 Dallas Cowboys No. 170 Green Bay Packers No. 171 Los Angeles Rams No. 172 New York Giants No. 173 San Francisco 49ers No. 174 Las Vegas Raiders No. 175 Tampa Bay Buccaneers No. 176 Dallas Cowboys No. 177 Los Angeles Rams

Round 6 No. 210 New England Patriots No. 211 Minnesota Vikings No. 212 Dallas Cowboys No. 213 Arizona Cardinals No. 214 Las Vegas Raiders No. 215 Washington Commanders No. 216 San Francisco 49ers No. 217 Kansas City Chiefs

Round 7 No. 250 Kansas City Chiefs No. 251 Los Angeles Rams No. 252 Tampa Bay Buccaneers No. 253 San Francisco 49ers No. 254 New York Giants No. 255 San Francisco 49ers No. 256 Green Bay Packers No. 257 New Orleans Saints No. 258 Chicago Bears No. 259 Houston Texans

–Field Level Media