The Baltimore Ravens earned consecutive compensatory picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. The first was for letting Brandon Stephens walk.
Stephens was a 2021 third-round pick out of SMU who was converted from cornerback to safety in Baltimore. He was suddenly pressed into a starting role after an injury to Marcus Williams, and, as one would expect, he struggled with his processing in coverage. He was still a physical run defender and a solid tackler, but the Ravens moved him back to boundary cornerback in 2022.
He took over a full-time starting role in 2023 and was one of the most-targeted cornerbacks in the league. He largely held up, allowing just 6.6 yards per target and reeling in the first two interceptions of his career.
Let’s review how we got here and where we go from here.
How did the Ravens receive a compensatory pick for Brandon Stephens?
In 2024, though, Stephens struggled at the catch point and gave up more big plays, which seemed to lower his stock heading into free agency. He still earned a robust three-year, $36MM deal from the Jets, and the Ravens received the highest fifth-round compensatory pick as a result.
How did the Ravens use the compensatory pick from Brandon Stephens?
When they make the 173rd pick, we will update.
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.
