Patriots Receive Pair Of 2021 Comp Picks, Including One For Tom Brady's Departure
BOSTON (CBS) -- For losing Tom Brady via free agency, the Patriots now have a third-round pick in this year's NFL Draft.
New England received a pair of compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL Draft on Wednesday, including the No. 96 overall selection -- the highest comp pick awarded for the 2021 NFL Draft. That's the pick the Patriots received for losing Brady, who left New England for Tampa Bay last offseason.
Considering Brady went on to win another Super Bowl in his first season with the Bucs, a third-round pick won't make New England fans feel any better about Brady's departure. And since comp picks can now be traded, chances are Bill Belichick will trade that pick into oblivion so no one player can be traced back to Brady. Just think about the second-round pick that the Patriots received for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017, and the mental gymnastics that analysts/nerds have had to do to map out exactly what New England received in return for Jimmy G.
The Patriots also received a fourth-round selection -- the No. 140 overall pick -- on Wednesday for the loss of Kyle Van Noy. New England will now have nine selections in the upcoming draft:
First Round, No. 15
Second Round, No. 47
Third Round (compensatory), No. 96
Fourth Round, No. 121
Fourth Round (compensatory), No. 140
Fifth Round, No. 159
Sixth Round, No. 195
Sixth Round, No. 197 (from Dallas)
Seventh Round, No. 243
The 2021 NFL Draft will be held from April 29 through May 1.
The Patriots were expected to receive a third comp pick for the free agent departure of Jamie Collins, which would have been a fourth-round pick, but that was canceled out by Damiere Byrd's playing time, which is a new wrinkle for comp picks in the NFL's new CBA.