Bengals, Packers, Cowboys each get four compensatory picks

The NFL has announced 32 compensatory selections for the 2018 NFL Draft, with the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders receiving a league-high four each.

The league awards a maximum of 32 compensatory picks each year to teams that lost more qualifying free agents than they gained during the 2017 offseason, with factors such as salary, playing time and postseason honors factoring into the distribution formula.

The Bengals were one of four teams (along with Arizona, Houston and Denver) to receive a third-round selection and also gained a fifth-rounder and two seventh-rounders. Cincinnati lost offensive linemen Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth, among others, to lucrative contracts elsewhere last March.

Green Bay and Dallas -- who rank second and third, respectively, in compensatory picks received since free agency began in 1994 -- each gained one selection in the fourth round, two in the fifth round and one in the sixth round. The Packers lost T.J. Lang, Jared Cook and Micah Hyde, among others, last offseason, while the Cowboys watched Ronald Leary, Barry Church, Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne depart.

All four of the Raiders' compensatory selections will be in the sixth round.

The Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans were awarded three picks apiece, including one each in Round 3 for the departures of Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye, respectively. The Cardinals also got a fourth-round pick (for Tony Jefferson) and a seventh-rounder, while the Texans received two sixth-rounders.

The Minnesota Vikings were the only other team to receive multiple picks, with both coming in Round 6.

The Baltimore Ravens, who lead the NFL with 49 compensatory picks received since 1994, garnered just one pick, a sixth-rounder. Baltimore's additions of Jefferson and Carr cancelled out the departures of Rick Wagner and Kyle Juszczyk.

The total of four third-round picks awarded marks a major departure from 2017, in which 11 such selections were given. All but six of the picks awarded in 2017 came in Round 5 or higher, compared to just 14 this year.

With the last seventh-round pick awarded (No. 256 overall), the Atlanta Falcons hold the final pick of the 2018 draft and the right to select Mr. Irrelevant, unless they trade the pick.

Compensatory picks were previously not allowed to be traded, until a rule change allowed dealing such picks starting in 2017. Eighteen of last year's 32 picks were traded before or during the draft, including four that were traded twice and one that was traded three times.

Here is a full list of the 2018 compensatory selections:

Round 3:

Arizona, 97th overall

Houston, 98th

Denver, 99th

Cincinnati, 100th

Round 4:

Green Bay, 133rd

Arizona, 134th

New York Giants, 135th

New England, 136th

Dallas, 137th

Round 5:

Cincinnati, 170th

Dallas, 171st

Green Bay, 172nd

Dallas, 173rd

Green Bay, 174th

Round 6:

Green Bay, 207th

Dallas, 208th

Kansas City, 209th

Oakland, 210th

Houston, 211th

Oakland, 212th

Minnesota, 213th

Houston, 214th

Baltimore, 215th

Oakland, 216th

Oakland, 217th

Minnesota, 218th

Round 7:

Los Angeles Chargers, 251st

Cincinnati, 252nd

Cincinnati, 253rd

Arizona, 254th

Tampa Bay, 255th

Atlanta, 256th

--Field Level Media