NFL

Steelers Get Jobbed on Comp Picks

When the NFL's compensatory picks were awarded on Monday everything went according to expectations, unless you were the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While the NFL gave out four third-round picks and four fourth rounders, it determined that losing Alan Faneca and Clark Haggans (countered by the signing of Mewelde Moore) was only worth a fifth-round pick for the Steelers.

The guru of compensatory picks, AdamJT13, is baffled as he calls it the one pick that doesn't make sense in this year's comp picks.The NFL's formula for determining comp picks has never been divulged, although it's a combination of the free agent's new salary, his playing time and how successful he was with his new team. Add all that up and it's pretty shocking that Faneca ended up only being worth a fifth-round pick. He signed a deal worth nearly $8 million a year (second largest of all the offseason deals), he played nearly every snap for the Jets and he was named to the Pro Bowl, all of which points to him earning a third-round pick.

In comparison, Justin Smith earned a third-round pick for the Bengals after he signed a $7 million-a-year deal with the 49ers, played 16 games and was solid if unspectacular. Bernard Berrian's $6.9 million a year deal with the Vikings was also worth a third-round pick for the Bears, although he wasn't anywhere close to the Pro Bowl.

The only logical explanation that comes to mind is that Moore's performance (four starts, 588 yards) was enough to lead the NFL to downgrade the compensation that the Steelers got for Faneca, but it's hard to find another equivalent example where that happened.

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