Compensatory picks for the 2012 NFL Draft are being announced Monday, pretty much on a team-by-team basis. These are picks the NFL awards for roster losses sustained from the previous year's crop of free agents. Teams that lose more talent than they bring on are entitled to extra draft picks, with a formula based on the departing player's playing time and salary being used to determine which round the aggrieved team will gain a pick in.
The Atlanta Falcons lost Harvey Dahl to the St. Louis Rams, which could've brought a decent mid-round pick, but also picked up Ray Edwards. The two should pretty much cancel each other out, as they both started all year long when healthy. However, the Birds also lost punter Michael Koenen to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Not only did Koenen play the whole year, he also drew a pretty high salary for a punter.
That's good for Atlanta, which could gain as high as a sixth-round pick, but perhaps at least a seventh. When you enter with only a few picks, every little bit helps. We'll wait and see.
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