Ravens Receive Four Compensatory Picks in 2025 NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens are still the masters of the compensatory pick formula.

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta speaks during a press conference during the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens have long been the masters of the compensatory pick formula, as they will often go out of their way to sign players and let them go just to get more picks.

This year, their efforts once again paid off.

The NFL officially awarded its compensatory picks for the 2025 NFL Draft on Tuesday night, and the Ravens were one of just three teams to receive the maximum four selections. The others are the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins.

Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta one the field before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Below is a list of the four compensatory picks, as well as the players the Ravens lost to get them:

• Fourth Round, No. 136 Overall (Patrick Queen)
• Fifth Round, No. 176 Overall (Jadeveon Clowney)
• Sixth Round, No. 210 Overall (Geno Stone)
• Sixth Round, No. 212 Overall (Kevin Zeitler)

Essentially, the league awards compensatory picks using a formula that takes into account how many compensatory free agents (CFAs) a team lost in a given offseason, as well as how much those players make. For example, if a player signs a deal that places them in the top five percent of the league's average annual value, then the team that lost them receives a third-round pick. If they place in the top 10 percent but below the top five percent, the team that lost them receives a fourth-round pick, and so on.

However, teams can also lose compensatory picks if they sign a player in the corresponding range, essentially canceling out the picks they would've received. For example, the Ravens would've received another fifth-round pick for losing guard John Simpson last year, but their signing of Derrick Henry cancelled it out.

Teams can also gain third-round compensatory picks if a minority employee leaves to become the head coach or general manager of another team under 2020 Resolution JC-2A. This year, the San Francisco 49ers received two such picks, while the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams received one each.

That's a very basic overview of the process, but even though it's very complicated, the Ravens know how to play the game perfectly.

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