Compensatory Picks -- Can someone explain the justification?

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

The justification is because it was collectively bargained. That's the why.
The how is secretive, but to qualify you must have had a greater number of UFAs sign elsewhere than you signed. Then you get picks. Value of the contracts signed matters secondarily, as does playing time for the players you lost. Then some teams just get picks in the 7th round because they had a poor record the year before (in this case, that's why Indy gets #253).

Listen carefully to what GTripp has to say here. He has cut down to the core of this matter right here...