The 2026 NFL Draft will award compensatory picks to teams that lost top free agents from last year’s class. That includes the Philadelphia Eagles, who saw Mekhi Becton sign a two-year, $20 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Why did the Eagles get a compensatory pick for Mekhi Becton?
The Eagles received a fourth-round pick for letting Becton walk in free agency. That is now the number 178 overall pick in the draft.
What did the Eagles do with the compensatory pick from Mekhi Becton?
That pick was 178 in the 2026 NFL Draft. Philadelphia took QB Cole Payton.
How was Mekhi Becton’s performance for the Chargers in 2025?
Becton played in 15 games for the Chargers in the 2025 season,
recording just four penalties throughout the year. That matched the total that he posted in his lone season with the Eagles.
Should the Eagles have re-signed Becton?
Becton had a breakout season with the Eagles in his lone year in Philadelphia. It would have been very hard for him to match his production level, so it was wise for them to move on from him at the time.
The Eagles replaced him with 2023 draft pick Tyler Steen, who had six penalties in 17 starts with the Eagles at right guard.
What is a compensatory pick?
Compensatory picks are awarded to teams that suffer a net loss of qualifying free agents during the previous year’s free agency period. So 2026 NFL Draft compensatory picks are awarded due to free agents lost in 2025.
Then those players are ranked on the amount of salary, playing time, and a bunch of other criteria and slotted into the end of rounds three through seven.
