The Packers Received An Extra 5th Round Pick

Over the past few seasons, the Green Bay Packers have been earning compensatory picks when they keep losing players to free agency while signing few in return. Last year was no exception, though the signing of C Jeff Saturday was a major change from the past, and they'll get a compensatory pick for their loss:

#Packers received a fifth-round compensatory pick. That's it.
— tom silverstein (@TomSilverstein) March 19, 2013

Actually, it's not that bad. The pick is the 9th highest compensatory pick awarded, though the Ravens were awarded four picks in total, so they padded their organizational lead over the Packers for first place, all-time, in compensatory picks awarded (37 to 31).

The super-secret NFL formula is hard to predict, but it's known to be based on the quality of free agents lost and whether the team signed any free agents in return. Losing C Scott Wells, a Pro Bowl player in 2011, no doubt earned them some major points in the formula, but signing a Pro Bowl center (Saturday) would have taken that value away. This pick might be solely compensation for the loss of QB Matt Flynn.

Compensatory picks aren't a huge perk because they can't be traded, but sometimes one of the selections turns into a Pro Bowl guard (Josh Sitton). With a couple of recent free agent departures (Jennings and Crabtree), the Packers could use depth at both positions and might find a player to their liking in the 5th round.