If you’re sitting on your couch on a Friday night waiting for the third round to wrap up so you can finally go to bed, you’ve probably noticed something weird. The round never seems to end when it’s "supposed" to. You count 32 teams in the league, you do the math, and you figure there should be 32 picks. Simple, right?
Nope. Not even close.
Honestly, the NFL draft is a bit of a mathematical headache once you get past the first few hours. While the first round is almost always a clean 32 picks (unless someone like the Dolphins gets caught tampering and loses a selection), the third round is where things start getting messy.
So, how many picks in 3rd round nfl draft should you actually expect? Usually, you’re looking at somewhere between 35 and 41 selections.
It’s never a fixed number. It’s a moving target that depends on a secret formula, front-office hires, and how much money some guy you’ve never heard of just signed for in free agency.
The Standard 32 and the "Comp Pick" Chaos
Basically, every team starts the year with one natural pick per round. Since there are 32 teams, the "base" for the third round is 32. If the NFL were a simple league, pick 96 would always be the last one.
But the NFL loves its compensatory picks.
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The league hands out extra picks at the end of rounds three through seven to teams that lost more "value" in free agency than they gained. If your star quarterback walks and you don't sign anyone to replace him, the NFL throws you a bone. For the 2025 draft, for instance, the NFL awarded 35 compensatory picks in total across the whole draft. Six of those landed right at the end of the third round.
Because of those additions, the 2025 third round didn't end at pick 96. It stretched all the way to pick 102.
In 2024, it was a similar story. We saw the third round go up to 100 picks because of these "bonus" selections. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, and Philadelphia Eagles all snagged extra spots at the end of the round because of the players they lost the year before.
The "Rooney Rule" Picks You Didn't See Coming
There is another way the third round grows, and it’s one most casual fans forget about until the commissioner mentions it on stage.
It’s called the 2020 Resolution JC-2A.
That’s a fancy, bureaucratic name for a rule that rewards teams for developing minority coaches or executives. If a team has a minority staff member—like a defensive coordinator or a high-level scout—hired away by another team to be a head coach or a General Manager, the "losing" team gets a special compensatory pick.
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These aren't just one-off picks, either. They get a third-round pick in two consecutive drafts.
Look at the San Francisco 49ers or the Los Angeles Rams recently. They’ve been like a factory for head coaches. Every time one of their assistants gets a big job elsewhere, they get a shiny new third-round pick at the end of the round. In 2025, the 49ers, Rams, and Lions all got these special picks.
This is why the third round feels like it has "overtime." You finish the regular 32, then you hit the free agency compensatory picks, and then you hit the minority hire compensatory picks. It adds up fast.
Why Does This Round Even Matter So Much?
You might think, "Who cares if there are 38 picks or 40?"
The GMs care. A lot.
The third round is often called the "sweet spot" of the draft. It’s where you find the starters who aren't quite "can't-miss" superstars but are still incredibly talented. Think about guys like Travis Kelce, Russell Wilson, or Fred Warner. All third-rounders.
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When you add six or seven extra picks to this round, you're essentially giving a few lucky teams an extra chance to find a franchise cornerstone for a fraction of the price of a first-round pick.
A third-round pick in 2026 is going to be worth significantly more than a fourth-rounder because the talent drop-off usually happens right around pick 100. If you have pick 98 (a comp pick), you’re still getting a "Friday night" player. If you have pick 105, you're looking at a "Saturday morning" guy. There’s a psychological difference there for scouts.
How the Order Actually Works
Don't let the numbers fool you; the order isn't just a straight line from worst to first.
- The Natural Order: Picks 1 through 32 (roughly) follow the reverse order of the previous season's standings.
- Trades: This is the big one. Teams trade these picks like Pokémon cards. You might see a team like the Packers picking twice in the third round because they traded a veteran away.
- The Comp Wrap-Around: Once the "natural" picks are done, the compensatory picks are tacked on based on the value of the players lost.
- The Special Comps: The minority hire picks usually go last in the round.
So, if you're trying to track how many picks in 3rd round nfl draft for the upcoming year, you can't just look at the standings. You have to wait until the NFL Management Council releases the official compensatory list, usually in early March. Until that memo drops, the exact number is just a best guess.
Tracking the 2026 Numbers
For the 2026 draft, we already know some teams are in line for those special minority development picks. But the "regular" comp picks? Those are still being calculated based on the 2025 free agency cycle.
If a team loses a Pro Bowl tackle and signs a bunch of league-minimum backups, expect them to be sitting pretty at the end of the third round.
Wait for the official NFL announcement in the spring to see the final tally. Check the "net loss" of players for teams like the Ravens or Cowboys—they are historically the masters of gaming this system to get extra third-rounders. Keep an eye on the total pick count; if it goes over 100, you know it was a wild year for free agency.
Stay updated on the trade compensatory formula, as any changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement could shift these numbers again. For now, plan for a long Friday night with about 38 to 40 names being called.