2023 NFL Team Draft Pools

Michael Ginnitti
Michael Ginnitti, Managing Editor & NFL/MLB ExpertApril 26, 2023
© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2023 NFL Draft upon us here's a snapshot look at the projected salary cap draft pools for each franchise.

What Am I Looking At Here?
Draft pools involve the amount of salary cap it would take for a team to sign & keep all of their draft picks in a given year. Obviously this is a fluid figure, as picks can be traded, players can go unsigned, and in certain cases, additional bonuses can be added to alter these figures slightly.

Why Are Top 51 Numbers Different?
During the offseason, only a team's Top 51 salary cap figures are accounted for in their overall total. For 2023, the cap figures of drafted players will range from $7.49M (#1 overall)to $771k (#251+). This means that many of these drafted players will carry a cap hit that won't be large enough to make their respective team's Top 51. For those that fall outside, only the prorated signing bonus portion of their cap hit will be counted toward the Top 51 salary cap. Once the regular season begins, all of a team's salary cap figures will begin to count.

Notable Notes

  • At $20.3M the Houston Texans currently hold the largest overall draft pool for 2023, $3M more than any other team in the league right now. Houston will need $15M of Top 51 cap space (they have it) to sign all 12 of their picks.
  • Thanks to last year's Tyreek Hill trade, and a Tom Brady collusion disciplinary action, the Dolphins enter the 2023 Draft with the fewest picks (4), and the lowest Total Draft Pool ($3.9M). They don't however own the lowest Top 51 Draft Pool. That belongs to the Cleveland Browns, who will only need $1.9M of offseason cap space to sign their 8 picks (2 3rds, 2 4ths, 2 5ths, 1 6th, 1 7th).
  • The average Draft Pool heading into Thursday is $10.5M, while the average Top 51 Draft Pool comes in just under $7.3M. NFL teams have on average, $12.2M of Top 51 cap space right now.
  • If your team has more draft pool than cap space right now - don't overthink it. Most teams (especially those in contention) like to keep their cap space close to the vest this time of year, knowing there will always be a contract or two they can restructure, trade, or outright release when the summer months start to come into focus.

RELATED:
2023 NFL Draft Tracker w/ Projected Contracts
2023 NFL Salary Cap Tracker

 

Team Picks Total Draft Pool Cap Top 51 Draft Pool Cap Top 51 Cap Space
Arizona Cardinals 9 $14,232,364 $11,982,364 $19,020,130
Atlanta Falcons 7 $10,443,071 $8,193,071 $12,950,992
Baltimore Ravens 5 $6,345,346 $4,845,346 $3,911,427
Buffalo Bills 6 $7,375,692 $4,375,692 $6,146,681
Carolina Panthers 6 $12,947,041 $11,447,041 $26,908,655
Chicago Bears 10 $13,073,585 $9,323,585 $36,665,999
Cincinnati Bengals 7 $8,063,405 $5,063,405 $17,485,889
Cleveland Browns 8 $7,221,321 $1,971,321 $7,973,448
Dallas Cowboys 7 $8,130,772 $5,130,772 $16,650,389
Denver Broncos 5 $4,762,939 $3,262,939 $7,792,473
Detroit Lions 9 $15,370,529 $12,370,529 $27,169,518
Green Bay Packers 11 $13,323,892 $8,823,892 $12,682,360
Houston Texans 12 $20,377,791 $15,127,791 $21,167,571
Indianapolis Colts 9 $14,537,077 $10,832,077 $23,365,490
Jacksonville Jaguars 9 $9,962,495 $6,962,495 $15,578,487
Kansas City Chiefs 10 $10,311,603 $5,811,603 $4,678,744
Las Vegas Raiders 12 $15,329,994 $8,579,994 $11,055,675
Los Angeles Chargers 7 $8,421,243 $6,171,243 $15,473,886
Los Angeles Rams 11 $10,314,837 $8,814,837 $10,079,114
Miami Dolphins 4 $3,945,920 $2,445,920 $2,756,757
Minnesota Vikings 5 $6,308,453 $4,808,453 $1,873,031
New England Patriots 11 $12,638,104 $6,638,104 $11,867,536
New Orleans Saints 8 $9,372,243 $6,372,243 $15,011,095
New York Giants 10 $10,558,876 $5,308,876 $1,815,947
New York Jets 5 $7,426,862 $5,176,862 $7,392,109
Philadelphia Eagles 6 $10,177,906 $8,677,906 $18,217,106
Pittsburgh Steelers 7 $10,169,349 $8,669,349 $7,560,585
San Francisco 49ers 11 $9,326,075 $3,326,075 $3,804,643
Seattle Seahawks 10 $17,399,345 $14,399,345 $7,341,570
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9 $10,066,606 $5,566,606 $1,871,398
Tennessee Titans 6 $8,997,170 $6,747,170 $11,481,500
Washington Commanders 8 $9,626,954 $5,876,954 $3,088,752

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