There’s been a slight edit to Over the Cap Nick Korte’s compensatory formula. Now that compensation window has closed, Korte unveiled his updated outlook. For Pittsburgh, they’re projected to receiver a pair of comp picks, a 4th and 6th rounder.
This’s slightly different than his previous projection in March, where the Steelers were predicted to receive a 4th and two 6th round selections.
The change? Nick Vannett, now projected to net only a 7th round kickback, has fallen off the list. At max, the NFL awards only 32 compensatory picks per year and Vannett’s salary wasn’t large enough to get him in the top 32, beaten out by Jeff Heath, who left Dallas to sign a $3 million deal with Oakland. Vannett signed for just $2.85 million with Denver.
The fourth rounder they are projected to receive is for Javon Hargrave, who signed a mega, three-year, $39 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. And the 6th rounder is for the loss of BJ Finney, who signed with Seattle.
Pittsburgh also lost Sean Davis and Tyler Matakevich to free agency but those, according to Korte’s math, are cancelled out by the signings of Eric Ebron and Derek Watt.
To be clear, these projections aren’t gospel and won’t be 100% correct. But they’re as close as anyone gets so consider Korte an expert on the matter. There’s also the possibility the landscape changes during the season if teams release players. That happened in 2019 when the Eagles cut LJ Fort, forcing Pittsburgh to cut Donte Moncrief – not that they were too upset about it, I’m sure – in order to keep their third rounder for Le’Veon Bell. Those games weren’t addressed in the new CBA and teams are probably going to keep playing them so long as it’s allowed.
Current projections have, surprise, surprise, the New England Patriots as the early comp winners. Korte projects them to net a third and a pair of fourth round picks for losing Tom Brady, Kyle Van Noy, and Jamie Collins this offseason. Around the AFC North, Baltimore is to net a 5th while Cincinnati and Cleveland wouldn’t receive any compensation. Check out the full list here.
