The NFL announced its allocation of compensatory picks for the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday, and the 49ers came out as the day's big winner.
Before the league's announcement, the 49ers had just four selections in the draft, with the first one scheduled to occur in the fifth round.
San Francisco might not have minded that too much. The team has found plenty of late-round gems like Brock Purdy in recent drafts, and it spent draft capital to acquire two players they envisioned as being key parts of their offense for years to come.
But the team certainly will welcome the sharp increase in draft capital this year.
Indeed, the 49ers received seven compensatory selections. That gives them 11 selections total in 2023.
Just how were the 49ers able to accrue that many compensatory picks? Here's a look at the team's transactions that led to the additional selections.
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Why did the 49ers get seven compensatory draft picks?
To begin, the 49ers received four compensatory picks for free agents they lost in the 2022 offseason.
San Francisco, in fact, had key players agree to lucrative contracts with other NFL teams. Defensive tackle D.J. Jones and cornerback K'Waun Williams joined the Broncos; offensive guard Laken Tomlinson signed with the Jets; defensive end Arden Key agreed to a contract with the Jaguars; and running back Raheem Mostert joined the Dolphins.
The 49ers offset one of those losses by signing cornerback Charvarius Ward away from the Chiefs with a three-year, $40.5 million contract. That left San Francisco eligible for four compensatory selections based on their net loss of players.
The other three compensatory picks are being awarded based on Resolution JC-2A, a league rule enacted in 2020 that awards teams third-round picks for developing minority candidates who are hired to fill head coaching and general manager positions.
The 49ers have been one of the most prolific developers of such talent. Since 2021, San Francisco has had three minority coaches hired away as head coaches: the Jets' Robert Saleh, the Dolphins' Mike McDaniel and new Texans coach DeMeco Ryans.
San Francisco has had similar success in front-office development. Martin Mayhew was hired as the Commanders' general manager in 2021 after a stint as the 49ers' vice president of player personnel. During the 2023 offseason, Ran Carthon was hired as the Titans' general manager after two years as the Niners' director of player personnel.
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Full list of 49ers draft picks
The 49ers had just four picks in 2023 NFL Draft prior to Thursday. They had surrendered picks in trades to acquire quarterback Trey Lance before the 2021 NFL Draft and running back Christian McCaffrey ahead of the 2022 NFL trade deadline.
Before receiving the compensatory selections, the 49ers' first pick was in the fifth round. Thanks to their three Resolution JC-2A picks, they will have three picks in the third round —Nos. 99, 101 and 102 overall.
An updated list of 2023 NFL Draft picks that belong to the 49ers.
| Round | Pick |
| 3 | 99 (Resolution JC-2A) |
| 3 | 101 (Resolution JC-2A) |
| 3 | 102 (Resolution JC-2A) |
| 5 | 155 (via Dolphins) |
| 5 | 164 |
| 5 | 173 (compensatory) |
| 6 | 216 (compensatory) |
| 7 | 222 (via Broncos) |
| 7 | 247 |
| 7 | 253 (compensatory) |
| 7 | 255 (compensatory) |
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Who has the most compensatory picks in the 2023 NFL Draft?
That 49ers' seven compensatory selections are easily the most in the NFL. While 11 teams received multiple compensatory picks, only five received three or more.
A list of the teams that received compensatory selections in 2023, and how many they got.
| Team | Picks |
| 49ers | 7 |
| Rams | 4 |
| Cardinals | 3 |
| Chiefs | 3 |
| Cowboys | 3 |
| Buccaneers | 2 |
| Commanders | 2 |
| Giants | 2 |
| Packers | 2 |
| Patriots | 2 |
| Raiders | 2 |
| Bears | 1 |
| Browns | 1 |
| Saints | 1 |
| Texans | 1 |
| Vikings | 1 |
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Full list of NFL compensatory picks for 2023 NFL Draft
The order of the NFL's compensatory selections for the 2023 NFL Draft:
| Round | Pick (Overall) | Team |
| 3 | 96 | Cardinals |
| 3 | 97 | Commanders |
| 3 | 98 | Browns |
| 3 | 99 | 49ers |
| 3 | 100 | Chiefs |
| 3 | 101 | 49ers |
| 3 | 102 | 49ers |
| 4 | 135 | Patriots |
| 5 | 167 | Rams |
| 5 | 168 | Cardinals |
| 5 | 169 | Cowboys |
| 5 | 170 | Packers |
| 5 | 171 | Rams |
| 5 | 172 | Giants |
| 5 | 173 | 49ers |
| 5 | 174 | Raiders |
| 5 | 175 | Buccaneers |
| 5 | 176 | Cowboys |
| 5 | 177 | Rams |
| 6 | 210 | Patriots |
| 6 | 211 | Vikings |
| 6 | 212 | Cowboys |
| 6 | 213 | Cardinals |
| 6 | 214 | Raiders |
| 6 | 215 | Commanders |
| 6 | 216 | 49ers |
| 6 | 217 | Chiefs |
| 7 | 250 | Chiefs |
| 7 | 251 | Rams |
| 7 | 252 | Buccaneers |
| 7 | 253 | 49ers |
| 7 | 254 | Giants |
| 7 | 255 | 49ers |
| 7 | 256 | Packers |
| 7 | 257 | Saints |
| 7 | 258 | Bears |
| 7 | 259 | Texans |