The Ravens’ 11 picks in this year’s NFL Draft leave the team tied with San Francisco for the most of any team in the draft.

Because, as savvy Ravens fans know, Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta is always angling for extra selections.

This year the Ravens were granted four compensatory picks, including pick No. 136 in round 4, No. 176 in round 5 and Nos. 210 and 212 in round 6.

Four comp picks leads the league this year, and it fits the Ravens’ organizational trend. The team leads the NFL with 60 compensatory picks since the system was created in 1996. The Dallas Cowboys have the next most with 58.

But the byzantine method for awarding comp picks can make it difficult to assess their real value. So we took a dive into the data to understand the approach — and to assess how well it’s working.

What’s in a comp pick?

Comp picks are distributed to teams to help make up for the loss of talent in free agency. The NFL has not released the formula it uses, but the general idea is: the more players you lose and the more they get paid on their new deals, the more picks you’re awarded.

Oh, and: To compile the most comp picks possible, you also have to refrain from making big free agent signings of your own.

Over the Cap has worked out a general methodology. The NFL appears to create a points system based on the average per-year value of qualifying unrestricted free agents’ contracts with their new teams, the percentage of snaps they played with their old teams and any awards they won. (Only the top 35% of players qualify).

Then, depending on where the departed player is ranked, the team gets a pick in the corresponding round. A player in the 95th-100th percentile would yield a third-round pick, one in the 90th-95th round would yield a fourth-round pick, and so on down through the seventh round. Players below the 65th percentile do not yield a compensatory pick.

Next, the NFL looks at the qualified free agents gained. They rank them by the same formula, and then they cancel out the picks added in the corresponding percentiles.

One round’s worth of picks (32) is awarded each year.

What makes a team partial to them?

One of the biggest reasons a team would allow talent to leave in free agency is if they are tight against the salary cap. The players they bring in through the draft will be on rookie contracts, which are the cheapest in the business.

Los Angeles Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz spent 25 years working for the Ravens and explained at the NFL combine what goes into evaluating the worth of signing players versus gaining comp picks. He said that when you lose a player, you try to balance what you would get back in terms of comp picks versus replacing them in free agency as well as how it would affect the cap.

“So you can play that game,” Hortiz said. “But I think the main goal is always to build the best team we can possibly build. Yes, you want to acquire comp picks, but you really do that when you just have a really deep team that continually replenishes itself.”

The Ravens are in that position, based on what both coach John Harbaugh and DeCosta have said recently. They entered the draft thinking their roster was already mostly complete. DeCosta also said at his predraft press conference that he likes having so many picks because he sees them as “currency” that can be used to pick players or to trade for future picks and players.

Hortiz said the Chargers are still getting there, but in a very Ravens-like fashion exclaimed, “I love comp picks!” Under Hortiz, the Chargers have three comp picks this year after not having more than one in each of the last five seasons.

How have the Ravens used their comp picks?

Here’s an example of how DeCosta views draft picks as “currency,” including comp picks.

Last year, the Ravens were awarded a fourth-round comp pick (No. 134) for the loss of guard Ben Powers. They then packaged that pick with offensive tackle Morgan Moses in a trade with the New York Jets for a higher fourth-round pick (No. 112) and a sixth-round comp pick (No. 218).

They used the sixth-round comp pick to add quarterback Devin Leary.

The Ravens have also kept their comp picks and made selections with them. Defensive end Brent Urban and tight end Isaiah Likely are still on the team (though Urban is in his second stint). Outside linebacker Malik Harrison just departed in free agency but was a significant contributor last year.

Other successful Ravens who were acquired with comp picks through the years include guard Edwin Mulitalo, running back Chester Taylor, quarterback Derek Anderson, punter Sam Koch, fullback Le’Ron McClain, defensive end Pernell McPhee, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, tackle Rick Wagner and center Ryan Jensen.

But again: These picks are meant to compensate for big losses. And the Ravens have had plenty. Notable players who left in free agency last offseason include Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen; outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, who had double-digit sacks; safety Geno Stone, who was second in the league for interceptions; and starting guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson.

How have the Ravens compared and fared under DeCosta?

DeCosta has been the general manager since 2019 and prior to this draft had earned a total of seven comp picks. With four in 2025, the Ravens are up to 1.57 a year.

During 2019-2024, the Ravens are tied with five other teams for seventh-most comp picks with seven.

In that time, the Ravens have had the third-best success rate, based on the average of Pro Football Reference’s approximate value, the site’s attempt at using a single number to determine the value of a player, similar to WAR in baseball.

The Ravens players chosen through comp picks have averaged 8.86 since 2019. That’s behind the Jacksonville Jaguars (13) and New York Giants (9.33).

This isn’t a perfect way to determine success, of course. The varying number of picks and where they’re situated makes for a difficult comparison. Plus, AV accrues over time and our data set includes players at the beginning of their careers who can still become good players.

But the fact remains: The Ravens are finding value with their comp picks.

Out of the Ravens’ seven comp picks under DeCosta, six have played in at least one NFL game. Five have made an NFL roster in at least two seasons. Four players (Harrison, Likely and guards Ben Bredeson and Tyre Phillips) have AVs over 10.