After a brief mix due to an error in the distribution of NFL clearing picks, the 49ers officially know they will receive two clearing picks in the 2021 NFL draft.
The NFL officially announced compensatory selections on Wednesday. In San Francisco he was awarded the pair he hoped to get: a third-round pick for Robert Saleh to be hired as the Jets ‘head coach and a fifth-round pick as compensation for Emmanuel Sanders’ departure to the free agency.
Teams can be awarded a compass selection in two ways. When the free agents leave, there is a formula that dictates whether the team will receive a selection for that player.
The other way is through the new adjustments to the Rooney Rule, which allows teams to make a compensatory choice if they have a coach or office member hired as head coach or general manager. If a team has a minority coach hired outside of its staff as head coach, it will get two third-round picks spread over two years. If they have a minority front office member hired as GM, they will get a selection of comp.
This off-season in San Francisco the two scenarios were played out after Saleh was hired by the Jets and player staff vice president Martin Mayhew was hired as general manager of the Washington football team. There the confusion arose in the initial list of NFL compositional selections that awarded two third-round picks to the 49ers.
Instead, they will receive one this year and one next year to hire Saleh, and then another in 2023 to hire Mayhew.
The NFL corrected the mistake and officially gave the 49ers the 102nd overall pick and the 180th overall pick. San Francisco is now ready to enter the draft with 10 picks.