Texans earn a draft pick thanks to obscure NFL rule
The Houston Texans landed a victory on Thursday and it involves the NFL Draft.
The Houston Texans landed a small win on Thursday when the NFL announced this year's compensatory picks for the 2023 NFL Draft. And although the Texans themselves weren't awarded any compensatory pick, they did receive a "supplemental selection."
That's a term that's rarely used by NFL media and fans because it's a product of a rarely-discussed rule.
It's in the CBA and it stipulates (in a few words) that if the league awards fewer compensatory picks than there are teams, it'll make up for it through "supplemental selections."
Keep in mind that the league determines compensatory picks through a predetermined formula that accounts for free agency signings and losses of the previous year. Sometimes, the formula will spew out fewer than 32 comp picks.
That's when the supplemental selections enter the picture. To provide additional context, this hasn't happened since at least 2017, as far back as my research for this article went.
Here's the actual description from the NFL's press release:
"The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates if in any League Year the number of compensatory selections awarded is less than the number of clubs then in the League (32), an additional number of selection choices shall be awarded to clubs based upon draft selection order (“Supplemental Selections”). This year, thirty compensatory selections were awarded to thirteen clubs based upon the netting formula described above."
As noted above, these supplemental selections are awarded based on the NFL Draft order which means the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans got the benefit this year.
Before you get too excited though, the Texans' supplemental selection will take place in the seventh round… as the final pick of the year. They'll make the 259th pick of the year and close things out.
So at least, the Mr. Irrelevant conversation will revolve around Houston!
Perhaps they find their own Brock Purdy, right? You know you'll hear about that when the time comes in April.
