As free agency quiets down over the coming weeks, teams and their fanbases will turn focus completely to the 2025 NFL draft. This April, hundreds of former college stars and promising prospects will hear their names called in Green Bay, Wisconsin to become the next group of NFL stars.
This year’s draft is marked by a strong group of good talent through the first three rounds. A player selected with the No. 25 overall pick may be on a similar level talent-wise to a player selected with the No. 55 overall pick.
That talent depth puts a premium on having as many picks as possible to maneuver and target the right players. Teams are all issued at least seven picks in the NFL draft: one in each round corresponding to their finishing place in the standings in the prior season. Those initial seven picks can be traded, though, causing a discrepancy between teams due to deals from prior years.
There are also compensatory picks awarded to teams ahead of the draft. These selections are given out ‘to teams that lost more or better compensatory free agents than they signed in the previous year,’ per the NFL. This is done with competitive balance in mind and the picks are tacked on to the end of Rounds 3-7 in the draft.
Compensatory picks are also awarded to ‘teams that have a minority employee hired to a head coach or primary football executive position by another team.’
The NFL has announced 35 compensatory picks for the 2025 NFL draft. Here’s a breakdown of each picks:
2025 NFL draft compensatory picks
Round 3
No. 97 overall: Minnesota Vikings
No. 98: Miami Dolphins
No. 99: New York Giants
No. 100: San Francisco 49ers
No. 101: Los Angeles Rams
No. 102: Detroit Lions
Round 4
No. 135 overall: Miami Dolphins
No. 136: Baltimore Ravens
No. 137: Seattle Seahawks
No. 138: San Francisco 49ers
Round 5
No. 169 overall: Buffalo Bills
No. 170: Dallas Cowboys
No. 171: Dallas Cowboys
No. 172: Seattle Seahawks
No. 173: Buffalo Bills
No. 174: Dallas Cowboys
No. 175: Seattle Seahawks
No. 176: Baltimore Ravens
Round 6
No. 209 overall: Los Angeles Chargers
No. 210: Baltimore Ravens
No. 211: Dallas Cowboys
No. 212: Baltimore Ravens
No. 213: Las Vegas Raiders
No. 214: Los Angeles Chargers
No. 215: Las Vegas Raiders
No. 216: Cleveland Browns
Round 7
No. 249 overall: San Francisco 49ers
No. 250: Green Bay Packers
No. 251: Kansas City Chiefs
No. 252: San Francisco 49ers
No. 253: Miami Dolphins
No. 254: Cleveland Browns
No. 255: Los Angeles Chargers
No. 256: Miami Dolphins
No. 257: Kansas City Chiefs