Bengals awarded third-round pick in NFL's draft flub

Field Level Media|published: 03/12/2024, 10:19am EDT

Dec 31, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) takes the field before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. credits: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

Courtesy of an accounting error by the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals added a third-round draft pick initially awarded as a sixth-rounder when the league released compensatory draft selections.

The Bengals were awarded pick No. 97, the top compensatory selection awarded for the 2024 draft, instead of the 208th overall pick at the end of the sixth round.

Compensatory picks are given to teams who lose free agents, coaches and scouting and personnel staff to other teams based on a league calculation that factors in salary, playing time and production.

The NFL said in a memo it miscalculated the compensation of the Cincinnati pick, which is believed to be tied to safety Jessie Bates. Bates left the Bengals to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency last March.

Correcting the compensation for Cincinnati impacts every subsequent draft pick.

Philadelphia — and the rest of the remaining draft selections — falls down one spot from No. 97 to No. 98.

—Field Level Media