Monday, March 21, 2011

A note about the 2011 comp picks

   The 2011 compensatory picks should be awarded this week during the NFL Annual Meeting in New Orleans, possibly as soon as today. [UPDATE: The announcement is not expected this week. See the note below.] Obviously, I did not post projections this year, which marks the first time since 2001 that I haven't done so. Call it another consequence of the NFL's labor dispute, although it pales in comparison to the consequences for the thousands of people whose livelihood has been affected or will be affected if the labor dispute continues.

   My goal in projecting the comp picks has always been to try to solve the puzzle — to analyze the comp picks that have been awarded and the factors involved enough to be able to achieve 100 percent accuracy, with every pick in the correct round and all of them in the correct order. It might have been an impossible goal, but I had fun trying. With the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement now expired, there is no guarantee that there will ever be compensatory picks awarded after this week — or, for that matter, that the draft will continue as we know it after next month. For that reason, I chose not to spend the time that it takes to make my projections. Had the owners and players resolved their issues before the CBA expired, thus ensuring that comp picks would continue to be awarded each year, I would have projected this year's picks and posted my projections, as usual. If the next CBA includes comp picks, I fully plan to resume making my projections for my own entertainment and for the benefit of anyone who might be interested.

   I do plan to analyze this year's picks after they are awarded, and I should be able to post a breakdown of which picks were awarded for which specific players. I'll also try to answer any questions posted here about this year's picks or about comp picks in general.

   UPDATE: According to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss, the comp picks will not be announced during the Annual Meeting, as they usually are. They will be announced at a later date.