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UPDATE: The cancellation chart from Over the Cap actually shows the Easton signing being cancelled out by the Stephen signing and the Vikings receiving a compensatory 6th for the loss of Murray. Original story follows.
With the departure of offensive lineman Nick Easton affecting things a bit, it’s time to take an accounting of the gains and losses for the Minnesota Vikings through the first week of free agency and see how things translate into Compensatory Draft Selections for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Thus far, according to the folks from Over the Cap (who have been very accurate in their assessments over the past couple of years), the Vikings are in line for two extra picks in 2020, including what should be a selection at the end of the third round.
The Vikings have only made two signings thus far, and only one of them affects the Compensatory Picks formula. The re-signing of linebacker Anthony Barr means nothing to the formula, as he was an in-house signing, but the acquisition of defensive tackle Shamar Stephen does count towards the league’s calculations.
The Vikings’ three losses also count towards that calculation, as the losses of Easton, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, and running back Latavius Murray will all play a role in the Vikings receiving or not receiving extra picks. The calculations from Over the Cap are based on the Average Per Year (APY) value of the contracts that they received in free agency.
As it stands now, Richardson’s $12 million APY is enough to net the Vikings a third-round compensatory pick. According to Nick Korte, who does all the Compensatory Pick stuff for Over the Cap, the $6 million that Easton’s deal will average should get the Vikings either a fifth or sixth-round selection. A potential sixth-round pick for the loss of Murray ($3.6 million APY) is cancelled out by the acquisition of Stephen ($4.15 million APY), according to Over the Cap’s cancellation chart.
Right now, the chart from Over the Cap has teams getting compensatory picks for APYs as low as about $2 million a year, so there is plenty of room and plenty of time for things to shift until the Compensatory Pick calculation in (I believe) early June. As it stands now, though, the Vikings stand to gain a couple of decent picks in the 2020 NFL Draft as a result of what’s happened in free agency thus far.