Redskins officially earn one compensatory pick in the 2020 NFL Draft

The Redskins already have a relative shortage of picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the compensatory pick formula isn’t helping them out.

The NFL released the official compensatory pick allocations across the league today, derived from the outcome of last year’s free agency period. 15 total teams were awarded at least one compensatory pick, and the Washington Redskins were one of six teams to acquire a single extra pick.

The Redskins lone 2020 compensatory pick comes in the fourth round. The official pick number is No. 142; it’s the fourth of eight compensatory selections in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The awarded fourth-round pick gives the Redskins seven total selections in the NFL Draft: The No. 2 pick, an early third-round pick, two fourth-round picks, one fifth-round pick, and two seventh-round picks.

The Redskins got their fourth-round compensatory pick from the contract that Jamison Crowder received from the New York Jets in free agency of 2019. They were in line to receive an extra third-round pick and an extra sixth-round pick as well, but the signing of Landon Collins cancelled out the third-round selection, while the signing of Ereck Flowers negated the sixth-round pick.

Both signings appear to be paying dividends so far; the Redskins and Ron Rivera are in talks to negotiate a new deal with Flowers after he resurrected his career at left guard in 2019, and Collins has already established himself as a leader on defense and a playmaker in the box. Both players need to do more to warrant the loss of future draft capital, but the Redskins investments in 2019 were not without payoff.

That said, getting just one pick back from the compensatory formula is a bit of a disappointment, although it was expected, based on the compensatory pick cancellation chart. The Redskins should be open to trying to gain more draft assets in the coming weeks. They currently lack a second-round selection, and although it would have to take multiple bidders, there’s a chance Trent Williams could command such value in a trade.

All this considered, an extra fourth-round pick can’t be taken for granted. The Redskins have a number of late-round picks contributing on their current roster, from Kelvin Harmon and Morgan Moses to Matt Ioannidis and Cole Holcomb. Every pick is an opportunity to find a diamond in the rough, and with this compensatory pick, the Redskins get one more valuable chance.