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The @steelers will receive a 7th Round compensatory selection in this year's NFL Draft. It is the 252nd overall selection in the Draft.
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) March 24, 2015
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have 8 total draft picks in the upcoming 2015 NFL Draft as they were awarded a 7th round compensatory pick this season. The overall selection number will be pick number 252, for those scoring at home, and means they will draft once in every round and twice in the 7th round.
Compensatory picks are given to teams who lose players via free agency, and the overall calculation of the process is not completely known outside of league circles. There are theories, but every year at the annual owners meeting the announcement is made awarding teams their extra draft pick.
The one caveat to the compensatory draft picks is these picks cannot be traded under any circumstance. When granted a compensatory pick it must be used to add a player to your roster.
With 8 picks in the upcoming draft, the Steelers will certainly be using several of those to bolster a shaky secondary, a very thin defensive front and a desperate need for a youthful pass rusher.