Norm Hall/Getty Images Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals attempts to avoid a tackle by Javon Hargrave during a game in 2019.
On Wednesday afternoon the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that the NFL has awarded them one compensatory draft choice in the 2021 NFL Draft. The pick will be the 35th selection in the fourth round, No. 141 overall.
It comes by virtue of losing defensive tackle Javon Hargrave in free agency. Hargrave signed a three-year $39 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles last March after spending his first four seasons with the Steelers.
What Happened to the Anticipated Sixth-Round Pick?
At one point, it appeared that the Steelers would also receive a compensatory sixth-round pick for losing B.J. Finney to the Seattle Seahawks. But the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) limits the number of compensatory selections, and the Finney compensatory pick was projected to be very close to the limit. As it turns out, it appears to have fallen on the wrong side of the line.
Compensatory picks are based on losses and gains from the previous year in free agency. Following are Pittsburgh’s losses/gains, as listed by the NFL:
Lost: Javon Hargrave, B.J. Finney, Sean Davis, Tyler Matakavich and Nick Vannett
Gained: Eric Ebron and Derek Watt
Notably, the Steelers could get B.J. Finney back this year. After going to the Seattle Seahawks on a two-year, $8 million contract, he was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals for two-time Pro Bowler Carlos Dunlap. But he wasn’t able to crack Cincinnati’s lineup in the wake of that October trade, and earlier this month he was released by the Bengals, making him an unrestricted free agent.
As for Hargrave, his Eagles career got off to a rocky start when he suffered a pectoral injury during training camp and missed the team’s regular season opener at Washington. Then he made minimal impact during the first three or four games he played in an Eagles uniform. But his play improved as the 2020 season went along and he finished with 38 tackles (16 solo), plus 4.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits and five tackles for loss.
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Complete List of the 2021 Compensatory Picks
This year a total of 37 compensatory picks were awarded for the 2021 NFL Draft, given to 17 different teams:
Round Three
Pick 33-96, New England
Pick 34-97, Los Angeles Chargers
Pick 35-98, New Orleans
Pick 36-99, Dallas
Pick 37-100, Tennessee
Pick 38-101, Los Angeles Rams
Pick 39-102, San Francisco
Pick 40-103, San Francisco
Pick 41-104, Los Angeles Rams
Pick 42-105, Baltimore
Pick 43-106, New Orleans
Round Four
Pick 33-139, Dallas
Pick 34-140, New England
Pick 35-141, Pittsburgh
Pick 36-142, Los Angeles Rams
Pick 37-143, Green Bay
Pick 38-144, Minnesota
Pick 39-145, Kansas City
Round Five
Pick 33-178, Green Bay
Pick 34-179, Dallas
Pick 35-180, Atlanta
Pick 36-181, San Francisco
Pick 37-182, Kansas City
Pick 38-183, Atlanta
Pick 39-184, Baltimore
Round Six
Pick 33-217, Tampa Bay
Pick 34-218, New Orleans
Pick 35-219, Atlanta
Pick 36-220, Green Bay
Pick 37-221, Chicago
Pick 38-222, Carolina
Pick 39-223. Minnesota
Pick 40-224, Philadelphia
Pick 41-225, Philadelphia
Pick 42-226, Carolina
Pick 43-227, Dallas
Pick 44-228, Chicago
The NFL began awarding compensatory picks in 1994, and since then the Steelers have received 34 of them.
This year the Baltimore Ravens received the highest comp pick awarded to any team in the AFC North, a third-rounder (No. 105) received for the loss of David Culley, who moved on to become the head coach of the Houston Texans. The Ravens also received a compensatory pick in the fifth round (No. 184).
Neither the Cleveland Browns nor the Cincinnati Bengals received a compensatory pick this year.
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• Steelers Re-Sign Exclusive Rights Free Agent Marcus Allen
• NFL Analyst Labels Steelers’ Bud Dupree ‘Overrated’