This is the last draft in Baltimore Ravens history in which Ozzie Newsome will be their general manager, as the veteran scout intends to transition into more of a background role beginning in the 2019 season. Taking over the job at that time will be his long-time protégé, Eric DeCosta.
And the last draft he will ever be primarily responsible for is going to feature just one compensatory draft pick, in the sixth round. The Ravens are known for being the team more than any other in the past to really work the compensatory pick formula to maximize their value, so it seems an unfitting finale to his tenure.
While the compensatory pick formula is shrouded in mystery, it is believed it is guarded by monks in a lost temple buried deep beneath the forgotten canopies of the Amazon, and some have sought to divine wisdom from afar, with some degree of success.
Among those who attempt to predict compensatory picks—even the Pittsburgh Steelers have acknowledged that they have multiple people who attempt to figure it out—is Over the Cap, whose Nick Korte provided a synopsis of the Ravens’ free agency losses and gains that factored into their 2018 compensation.
Ravens fans: here is Baltimore’s updated 2018 compensatory pick cancellation chart that explains why they only got a 6th round pick for Lawrence Guy.
The 7th for Ducasse missed the 32 pick limit. pic.twitter.com/SslflBvuXW
— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) February 23, 2018
Their big loss was, of course, Rick Wagner, who signed a contract worth $9.5 million per season. In large part because of injuries, and thus loss of playing time, however, his value was only projected to be a fourth-round pick, which was offset by the rare outright unrestricted free agent signing of Tony Jefferson.
The Ravens also saw their fullback vastly overpaid for by the 49ers a year ago, but they saw that offset by the addition of Brandon Carr. The loss of Kamar Aiken was also offset by the addition of Danny Woodhead, who was injured for most of the year.
The sixth-round pick stems from the loss of Lawrence Guy, who went to the Patriots. The loss of Vladimir Ducasse also qualified for seventh-round compensation, but it did not meet one of the top 32 compensatory picks awarded, so it missed the cutoff.
Since compensatory picks were first awarded in 1994, nobody has received more than the Ravens’ 49, and they weren’t even around in 1994. As recently as 2016, they had four compensatory picks, including three in the fourth round. Interestingly enough, Rick Wagner himself was a fifth-round compensatory pick once upon a time.
