Despite reports during the regular season that the Saints and Raiders had been stripped of draft picks for violating the NFL’s COVID-19 policies, neither team has lost a pick.
Multiple reports during the regular season said that the Saints lost a seventh-round pick for a mask-less locker room celebration, and the Raiders lost a sixth-round pick for multiple violations. But that is not the case.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to PFT that the Saints and Raiders did not have draft picks taken away.
“They are not forfeiting them,” McCarthy said. “Neither team will lose those picks.”
The league did not explain why the teams will not lose picks after all, but it appears that both teams appealed the discipline and got back the draft picks as part of the appeals process.
Two teams have forfeited picks in the 2021 NFL draft: The Patriots lost a third-round pick for members of the team’s media department filming the Bengals’ sideline, and the Vikings lost a seventh-round pick for a salary cap violation.
UPDATE: The Saints will forfeit a 2022 sixth-round pick. The Raiders were fined but will not lose a draft pick.