Packers will likely receive a 5th-round compensatory pick in 2023 NFL Draft

When Monday came and went, an important deadline passed in the NFL. The close of the league day on May 2nd was the last day for unrestricted free agent signings to count towards or against the compensatory draft pick calculation for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Shortly after that deadline, a handful of notable free agents quickly agreed to new contracts. The biggest name of the group is safety Tyrann Mathieu, who landed with the New Orleans Saints almost immediately on a three-year, $33 million deal. For the Green Bay Packers, who were not in the running for any big-name free agents remaining on the market, the passing of the deadline means that the team can project and plan for what compensatory pick or picks they will receive in next year’s NFL Draft.

Based on the team’s gains and losses in this year’s free agency period, the team is poised to get one compensatory selection in 2023, with that pick coming in the fifth round. That pick corresponds to the loss of wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs early on in free agency.

According to Overthecap.com, the Packers lost just two unrestricted free agents who qualified for compensatory pick consideration: MVS and offensive lineman Lucas Patrick, whose $4 million per year deal with the Chicago Bears gave him a 7th-round value. However, the acquisition of defensive lineman Jarran Reed (formerly of the Chiefs) canceled out the loss of Patrick.

The rest of the team’s losses and acquisitions had contracts that will fall below the expected cutoff for compensatory picks, which is an average annual value of about $3 million per year. The Packers lost Oren Burks to San Francisco ($2.5 million average), Chandon Sullivan to the Vikings ($1.75 million), and Corey Bojorquez to the Browns ($1.69 million). Meanwhile, they signed just two other unrestricted free agents in Pat O’Donnell ($2 million) and Sammy Watkins ($1.85 million plus incentives).

This is a somewhat smaller haul than the Packers received for 2022, when they received a fourth-round pick (#140 for losing Corey Linsley) and a seventh-rounder (#259 for Jamaal Williams). The Packers used those picks on offensive lineman Zach Tom and wide receiver Samori Toure, respectively. Meanwhile, 2021 saw the team pick up just one fifth-rounder for the loss of Bryan Bulaga, a pick that they used on cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles.