After the end of the business day on Monday, any free agents who sign with a new team will not count toward the 2023 compensatory draft pick formula.
So, clarity is coming to the comp-pick picture for next year. While there are some things to figure out, Over The Cap [which does a great job on these sorts of things] is currently projecting that the Las Vegas Raiders are in line for three 2023 comp picks based on free agents leaving this offseason.
The current projection is Las Vegas will receive a fifth-round draft pick for wide receiver Zay Jones [Jacksonville Jaguars], a sixth-round pick for defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson [Seattle Seahawks] and a seventh-round pick for Nicholas Morrow [Chicago Bears].
According to this formula, pass rusher Chandler Jones [Arizona Cardinals] is the only Las Vegas free-agent signing who counts into the comp-pick mix with the Cardinals projected to get a fifth-round pick for his departure.
If this plays out, the Raiders would have 10 picks in next year’s draft, which is pretty nice. In recent years, the Raiders have not gotten many comp picks, so this would be a welcome change for the team.
HENDERSON, Nev. – The Las Vegas Raiders have traded DT Johnathan Hankins and a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick, the club announced Tuesday.
Hankins, a 6-foot-3, 340-pound defensive tackle has appeared in 66 games with 61 starts since joining the Silver and Black in 2018. During his time with the Raiders, he has compiled 182 tackles [92 solo], 2.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, three passes defensed and three fumble recoveries.
Additionally, the Raiders have signed T Sebastian Gutierrez to the practice squad and released CB Javelin Guidry.
Everything's bigger in Texas. Especially the losses this time of year.
No one was mistaking the Texans for a playoff contender entering the 2022 season, but it was also difficult to envision a world in which they would somehow be worse than their 4-13 record in 2021.
But, the Texans are entering the second half of their season and look about as rudderless as they did in 2022. With serious questions about their quarterback, the losses could bode well for their hopes at a top passer in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Should Houston finish in the top spot, they'll have options for passer of the future. Whether that's Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud or Kentucky's Will Levis remains to be seen.
It's not just the quarterbacks that teams are in on. Alabama's Will Anderson is a safe bet to land as the top player selected, and if not, at minimum the top three. Clemson's Myles Murphy, Alabama's Jordan Battle and Oregon's Noah Sewell all headline a potentially defense-heavy first round.
MOCK DRAFT: Texans join 1-2-3 run on QBs; Eagles double up on D; Broncos, Packers add big playmakers
With a couple of weeks until Thanksgiving, teams may be thankful for those losses, even if that's a bitter pill to swallow.
Here's how the current draft order stacks up:
NFL Draft order 2023
This is how the draft order stands after all Week 10 gaames have been played:
| 1 | Houston Texans | 1-7-1 |
| 2 | Las Vegas Raiders | 2-7 |
| 3 | Carolina Panthers | 3-7 |
| 4 | Philadelphia Eagles [from NO] | 3-7 |
| 5 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-7 |
| 6 | Chicago Bears | 3-7 |
| 7 | Seattle Seahawks [from DEN] | 3-6 |
| 8 | Detroit Lions [from LAR] | 3-6 |
| 9 | Houston Texans [from CLE] | 3-6 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-6 |
| 11 | Detroit Lions | 3-6 |
| 12 | Atlanta Falcons | 4-6 |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals | 4-6 |
| 14 | Green Bay Packers | 4-6 |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | 4-5-1 |
| 16 | Washington Commanders | 5-5 |
| 17 | Los Angeles Chargers | 5-4 |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-4 |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-5 |
| 20 | Denver Broncos [from SF via MIA] | 5-4 |
| 21 | New England Patriots | 5-4 |
| 22 | Seattle Seahawks | 6-4 |
| 23 | New York Jets | 6-3 |
| 24 | Buffalo Bills | 6-3 |
| 25 | Baltimore Ravens | 6-3 |
| 26 | Tennessee Titans | 6-3 |
| 27 | Dallas Cowboys | 6-3 |
| 28 | New York Giants | 7-2 |
| 29 | Minnesota Vikings | 8-1 |
| 30 | Kansas City Chiefs | 7-2 |
| 31 | Philadelphia Eagles | 8-1 |
Notes:
— The Eagles hold the Saints' first-round pick as part of a pick swap with New Orleans during the 2022 NFL Draft.
— The Texans hold Cleveland's first-round pick as part of the Deshaun Watson trade that sent the passer to the Browns.
— The Seahawks have Denver's first-round pick as compensation from the Russell Wilson trade.
— The Lions have the Rams' first-round pick due to the Matthew Stafford trade.
— The Broncos traded pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins for a first-round pick prior to the 2022 NFL trade deadline. That pick formerly belonged to San Francisco, which traded it to Miami as part of the Trey Lance package in 2021.
— The Dolphins don't have their own first-round pick after being sanctioned by the NFL for tampering violations regarding Tom Brady and Sean Payton.
MORE: Sporting News big board for 2023 NFL Draft
Top 2023 NFL Draft prospects
It's early yet, but after a down year of passers in the 2022 NFL Draft, there could be three first-round prospects come next April.
Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Kentucky's Will Levis will all jockey for the right to be the first quarterback off the board come the 2023 NFL Draft. Analysts and scouts currently peg the battle to be between Young and Stroud, with Levis a distant third.
If a quarterback isn't the first player off the board, then it will most definitely be Crimson Tide pass rusher Will Anderson. Anderson is a dynamic edge capable of disrupting the game from Day 1 in the NFL.
Author[s]
Joe Rivera is a senior content producer at The Sporting News and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater, Rutgers University.