What would you like first: The bad news, or the worse news?
Let's go in that order.
The NFL announced Tuesday the distribution of 32 compensatory draft choices for the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. The bad news? The 49ers didn't receive any.
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Teams that lose more or better compensatory free agents (CFA) than they acquire in the previous year are eligible to receive compensatory draft picks. The compensatory picks fall within the third and seventh rounds in the draft, based on the value of the CFAs lost. The total number of compensatory selections is limited to the number of teams in the league (32), and no team can receive more than four compensatory picks in any one year.
So, essentially, San Francisco didn't lose more or better free agents than it acquired. On the surface, that's a good thing, but the 49ers surely wouldn't have minded adding another pick or two to what is a limited 2020 draft-pick arsenal.
The worse news? A fair number of San Francisco's main competitors did receive one or more compensatory selections.
The Seattle Seahawks, for instance, were given three compensatory picks in the 2020 NFL Draft -- a third-rounder, fourth-rounder and sixth-rounder. The Los Angeles Rams? They got a third-round pick.
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Within the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles each added three compensatory picks, while the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington all received one apiece.
Then, in the AFC, some conference powers saw their draft arsenals beefed up. The New England Patriots received a league-high four compensatory selections, while the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens added three and two, respectively.
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Although it might be disappointing to be left out of the additional selections, chances are the 49ers knew this was coming. Despite receiving zero this year, San Francisco still ranks 10th in the league with 31 total compensatory draft picks awarded since 1994.