Dolphins max out on 2025 projected compensatory draft picks after losing DeShon Elliott to Steelers
Sometimes losing can be winning. In the cases of free agency and the Miami Dolphins' 2025 draft, that turns out to be true. The Dolphins qualified for a fourth – which is the league maximum – compensatory draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after losing DeShon Elliott to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday afternoon. According […]
Sometimes losing can be winning. In the cases of free agency and the Miami Dolphins' 2025 draft, that turns out to be true.
The Dolphins qualified for a fourth – which is the league maximum – compensatory draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after losing DeShon Elliott to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday afternoon.
According to OverTheCap.com, the Dolphins are currently set to receive two third-round compensatory picks for the free agent signings of Christian Wilkins by the Las Vegas Raiders and Robert Hunt by the Carolina Panthers. They are also currently set to receive a sixth-round pick for Brandon Jones signing with the Denver Broncos and a seventh-round pick for Eliott signing with the Steelers.
There are a number of factors that go into compensatory draft picks, which are additional picks awarded to teams who lose more free agents than they sign. Contract value of compensatory free agents, postseason awards/accolades, and playing time all factor in. Similar free agent signings can also negate picks, as the Jordyn Brooks signing did with Andrew Van Ginkel, who would have yielded a fifth-round compensatory pick.
However, given the astronomical amounts in the contracts for Wilkins and Hunt, they should keep the Dolphins in the third round (highest available round) for those two picks.
As the league only awards a maximum of 32 compensatory picks, some of those picks can change as future signings happen and other qualifying/disqualifying events occur. Accordingly, while the Dolphins have four picks now, that can change as the year progresses.
For now, things are looking solid for the Dolphins to have a nice boost to their 2025 draft outlook.
UPDATE (4:20 pm ET): Well, it seems you can scratch one of those picks off the list. The Dolphins' acquisition of free agent cornerback Kendall Fuller has apparently wiped out Miami's projected 6th round pick for the loss of Brandon Jones. Still, for that caliber of player at that price, that's not a huge price to pay.
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