One of the engaging subplots of the start of free agency in the NFL is the compensatory pick process. Teams that lose a player to free agency and they sign a big contract elsewhere early in the process, the NFL will reward them with an extra draft pick in next year’s draft. And the Pittsburgh Steelers certainly seem primed to get some comp picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, which would buck recent trends.
Comp picks can be helpful for teams going through a rebuild to restock their depth chart. Those extra picks can also come in handy when a team decides to get aggressive in trading up.