Broncos Awarded 7th Round Compensatory Draft Pick

The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft will take place at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on Friday, April 28th.

The Denver Broncos have been awarded a seventh round compensatory pick (246th overall) in the upcoming NFL Draft, the team announced on Friday.

In short, compensatory picks are given to a team if it is determined that they lost more or better players than they were able to acquire during the previous year’s free agency period.  The Broncos now own seven selections — 1st (2), 2nd (36 & 46), 3rd (67), 6th (186 & 189) and 7th (246) — in this years draft.

Generally, any player picked later than the fifth round is a long shot to make the roster.  That hasn’t necessarily been the case in Denver in recent years, however.  Last April, the team selected cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson in the seventh round and in 2008, the team drafted fullback/running back Peyton Hillis in the seventh round.

The team’s starting fullback, Spencer Larsen, is a former 6th round selection.  Ultimately, you can find a great player in any round (some of the greatest to ever play the game even went undrafted), so Denver won’t take this extra pick for granted, a seventh rounder or not.

The 2011 NFL Draft will take place on Friday, April 28th-30th.