On Monday the NFL awarded 31 compensatory draft choices to 16 teams for the upcoming 2001 NFL Draft, and the New England Patriots are one of those teams.
New England was awarded a draft choice in the 5th (163rd overall), 6th (200th overall), and 7th (239th overall) rounds, and this now increases their total to nine overall.
Under terms of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in a year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.
The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents, with up to a maximum of four. The 31 compensatory choices announced on Monday will supplement the 215 choices in the regular seven rounds of the 2001 NFL Draft. This year, the compensatory picks will be positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.
During the offseason prior to the 2000 season New England lost G Heath Irwin, CB Steve Israel, WR Shawn Jefferson, LB Marty Moore, and DL Chris Sullivan to free agency. They only added TE Eric Bjornson, and T Grant Williams during the free agent period.
Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time, as well as postseason honors. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.
Since 1993 New England has acquired 10 compensatory draft choices, tied with Jacksonville for 6th place behind Minnesota (11), Philadelphia and Arizona (12), Pittsburgh (13), Buffalo and Green Bay (16) and Dallas who had the most at 21.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
