Harrison Bryant and Sione Takitaki earn Cleveland comp picks in next year’s NFL draft
As we have noted multiple times, NFL free agency isn’t over but it has slowed to a crawl. The Cleveland Browns made the signing of OL Brian Allen official this week but their roster, looking at their offensive and defensive depth charts, is pretty full.
While the NFL draft has mostly been boring for Browns fans the last few years, the team is projected to have eight picks in 2025 including all of theirs in the first four rounds. Given the turnover at the bottom of the roster in free agency, it is a bit of a surprise that Cleveland is also projected to have two compensatory picks to run that total up to 10 next year.
According to Over the Cap, the loss of LB Sione Takitaki and TE Harrison Bryant will lead to two seventh-round selections for Cleveland. Contracts, not talent, decide what teams get compensatory selections. At a base level, compensatory picks reward teams whose free agents sign with other teams while their former team doesn’t spend similarly on external free agents.
The NFL’s website also projects two comp picks for GM Andrew Berry noting that the loss of Joe Flacco and Jordan Elliott “wash out” the additions of Jordan Hicks and Quinton Jefferson, leaving Bryant and Takitaki, as noted above, for compensation back to the team.
None of the free agents signed by the Browns this offseason will lead to compensatory picks going back to their former teams based on OTC’s projections.
Are you surprised Cleveland is getting compensatory picks this year?
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