Malik Willis, the former Green Bay Packers quarterback, hitting injured reserve is straight-up costing his old team a round in the 2027 NFL Draft. What was projected as a third-round compensatory pick for the Packers is now looking like a fourth-rounder, a tough hit to their future draft capital.
The Comp Pick Game: How Points Turn Into Picks
The NFL’s compensatory pick system is definitely complex, but here’s the gist: players earn points based on their average salary in free agency contracts and get bonuses for playing time, specifically the percentage of snaps they log in the regular season. If a team loses more “points” from departing free agents than they gain from new signings, the NFL awards them extra draft picks, essentially creating an additional round from the third to seventh rounds. That’s why Willis’s injury news is such a big deal for Green Bay and their 2027 outlook. Over The Cap, the go-to for this stuff, already adjusted Willis’s projection from a third-round pick to a fourth-rounder. He was already right on the edge of third-round status, with only Jaelen Phillips and Trey Hendrickson currently set to earn third-round compensatory picks. But missing at least four games? Yeah, that pretty much sealed the deal. Instead of the projected 98th pick, the Packers are now looking at the 133rd pick because of Willis. That’s a huge drop, from a high third-rounder to a mid-fourth.
More Tough Breaks for Green Bay’s Draft Outlook
Willis isn’t the only former Packer causing some headaches for their 2027 draft board. Offensive tackle Rasheed Walker, who was expected to net at least a fifth-round pick for the Packers, ended up signing a one-year deal late in the free agency process after overplaying his hand. Right now, Green Bay isn’t even expected to get a pick for him. And receiver Romeo Doubs, who was on track for a fourth-round pick for the Packers, is also on injured reserve. That likely means they’ll only get a fifth-round pick for losing him now. The injury bug is really biting their compensatory pick chances.
The Full 2027 Draft Picture for the Packers
When you put it all together, here’s how the Packers’ 2027 compensatory picks are currently shaping up:
- 4th round: Malik Willis
- 5th round: Quay Walker
- 5th round: Romeo Doubs
- 6th round: Kingsley Enagbare
Teams are capped at four compensatory draft picks, so even though Walker might have earned a seventh-round pick, the Packers won’t get it because they signed cornerback Benjamin St-Juste in free agency, which canceled out that selection. Beyond the compensatory picks, the Packers still hold their original draft picks outside of the first round (due to the Micah Parsons trade) and the sixth round (from the Darian Kinnard trade). They also picked up the Cowboys’ fourth-round pick (from the Rashan Gary trade) and the Eagles’ sixth-round pick (from the Dontayvion Wicks trade) in 2027. All told, that brings their total to 11 picks, but man, those compensatory picks feel like they’re getting chipped away.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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