Jets Projected to Receive Three Compensatory Picks in 2024 NFL Draft

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein used the NFL compensatory process to project picks heading to teams for the 2024 draft.

It’s been a long time since the Jets have been involved, but Lance projects three compensatory picks heading to New York next off-season.

Projected compensatory picks: One in Round 6; two in Round 7.

Key free-agent losses: Dan Feeney (Dolphins), Nate Herbig (Steelers), Sheldon Rankins (Texans), Nathan Shepherd (Saints), Mike White (Dolphins).

Key free-agent additions: Mecole Hardman, Allen Lazard.

Comp-pick analysis: The losses of Rankins and Shepherd should be canceled out in the formula by the additions of Lazard and Hardman. The Jets still had three other departures that should result in a sixth-rounder (Herbig) and two seventh-rounders (Feeney and White). There is a chance that Feeney ultimately does not play enough in 2023 to earn the Jets a comp pick.

Teams are awarded compensatory draft picks based on several factors including a player's average salary, his snap count, and any post-season awards received, the picks are placed between Rounds 3 and 7 and no team can have more than four.

It’s been a while since the Jets were awarded compensatory picks, based solely on them being active in free agency and losing very little talent, mainly because we didn’t have much talent to lose, that’s what happens when you haven’t been to the post-season for over a decade.

We already know that the Jets will be giving up a second or first-round pick in 2024, as part of the Aaron Rodgers deal. A 6th and a couple of sevens won’t make up for that, but late-round picks are useful for developmental prospects (like Kuntz) and as ammunition to move up for desired targets in other rounds.

Player departures are just one way a team can gain compensatory picks. In 2020 the NFL announced it would award two third-round selections (one in consecutive years) to any team that had a minority coach or executive hired as head coach or general manager by another NFL club.

The Jets don’t have a ton of candidates who are close to being considered for a head coach job or a general manager job. Ron Middleton may be a name to watch and Marquand Manuel is highly regarded in league circles, so there’s always a chance...not that I want the Jets to lose good coaches.