Draft Insiders’ Digest – 27th Season 
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NFL Supplemental Draft 2018 –
July 11, 2018, 1 pm est
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The NFL will hold 2018 summer NFL Supplemental Draft on Wednesday, July 11th at 1 pm est. Currently five players have declared for the draft class including cornerbacks, Adonis Alexander of Virginia Tech and Sam Beal of Western Michigan, LB Bright Ugwoebuh of Oregon St., safety Brandon Bryant of Mississippi St and RB Marty Carter of Grand Valley St. Alexander held a pro day on June 20th, while Beal worked out on June 28th and Bryant the following day, June 29th. NFL supplemental drafts often pass without any players being chosen, but Beal, Alexander and Bryant figure to be attractive options for NFL clubs with needs in the secondary.
Draft Insiders’ NFL Supplemental Draft 2018 Report is available July 10 – Free for Subscribers
Sam Beal is our highest rated prospect in this class and a player who could be selected with a second day selection either a 2nd or 3rd round draft choice. He had a good pro day workout. If a player is selected in the supplemental draft, the team must forfeit a draft pick of the same round the player was picked in the NFL Draft 2019. Since 2012, only two players have been picked in the supplemental draft. The Browns took receiver Josh Gordon in 2012 in the 2nd round while the Rams took Isaiah Battle in 2015 in the fifth round. Only 43 players in total have been taken in the supplemental draft since its inception in 1977.
Prospects for NFL Supplemental Draft 2018
The NFL will conduct the Supplemental Draft 2018 on Wednesday, July 11th for players who rescind their remaining college eligibility. This draft has been a short process annually that considers special situations for players that are at least three years removed from high school. All 32 teams will participate in the weighted process that is divided into three tiers with seven prospects entered for this year’s selection draft. Teams with six wins or less from last season will make up the first group, followed by a second group of non-playoff teams and finally a third group of the twelve playoff teams. Each team submits the name of the players via email that they want to draft with the round they would like to select them. The club with the highest selection will be awarded the player. In the case of two teams drafting the same player in a round, the club with the worse record last season will win the prospect. Players not selected in this draft class will then become free agents eligible to sign with any team.
Any team that uses a selection in the Supplemental Draft will forfeit their choice in the corresponding round of the NFL Draft 2019. The new draft prospects will be considered part of the rookie salary pool along with the players from the NFL Draft 2018 and they must fit under the current contract structure and overall salary cap. There was no player chosen again last July. The Rams used their 5th round pick on OT Isaiah Battle in the 2015 NFL
Supplemental Draft, the last player chosen in this process. No players were drafted the previous past two summers. In 2013, the Browns used their 2nd round pick on wideout Josh Gordon, the only selection chosen in the process. He was a Pro Bowl receiver who set new NFL records a few years ago. But he has also been suspended annually for failing drug and alcohol tests and is currently coming off a suspended period. Browns did not bring back for 2017 season, but has reinstated him this spring and he has been in mini-camp this spring and will attend training camp this August.
Most prospects in a Supplemental class provide little initial impact because of the late signing that caused them to miss all of the OTAs and mini-camp practices. The NFL office has considered terminating this draft process after only minimal interest by clubs. Bids are weighted according to how a team performed the previous season. There are three groups of bid weights, with record determining ranking within each. The first group consists of teams that had six or fewer wins the previous season. The second group is made up of non-playoff teams that had more than six wins. The third group is made up of the 12 playoff teams from the previous year.
Prospects for NFL Supplemental Draft 2018
These players are eligible for the NFL Supplemental Draft after not declaring for entry in the NFL Draft 2018. The NFL has confirmed that these five players will be available in today’s summer NFL Supplemental Draft 2018.
Workout dates for 5 NFL Supplemental Draft prospects:
CB Adonis Alexander: 6/20 at Virginia Tech
CB Sam Beal: 6/28 at WMU
S Brandon Bryant: 6/29 at MSU
RB Marty Carter: 6/30 Grand Valley St
LB Bright Ugwoebuh: 6/30 at Oregon St.
Cornerback Sam Beal #1 Western Michigan 6-1 180 – Sp. 4.50 Rating 70
Big agile savvy corner started his final two seasons, earning MAC honors in 2017. Slender athlete with the prototypical skills which translates well to the corner position. Quick feet with fine short area suddenness and good long speed. Fine natural coverage ability with the athleticism to ultimately compete for a corner role in the NFL. Slight frame and lack of ideal physicality are legitimate concerns. Aided by quick feet, athletic instincts and the ball-skills to mirror receivers and grade out highly on a game to game basis. Limited experience vs NFL caliber receivers, though shows natural playmaking skills and made fast progress with experience anticipating routes and making plays on the ball. Can mirror tightly in man coverage underneath. Shows fine patience and confidence and keeps balanced and under control in coverage. He was rarely beaten deep with good speed and leaping skills to win in matchups. Displays nifty footwork and above-average twitch to plant and drive out of his backpedal. Inconsistent at reading the QB to anticipate when to jump routes. Displays good recovery speed when he reads routes properly. He can bite on play-action and fooled by double moves. Instincts are improving, though faced a simple level of play. Inconsistent tackling whether at the line or in the open field. Lacks top makeup speed and can be slow to turn and find the ball. Needs improvement on tracking and adjusting to deep passes. Overall, he is a very alert, confident and instinctive corner who is usually sound at jumping routes. Good press coverage ability to gain an early advantage. As a junior in 2017, he started 11 games and made 26 tackles with 3 TFL, 10 PBU and 2 picks for 2nd team MAC honors. As a sophomore, he started 13 games with 55 tackles with 8 PBU, and no picks. At his pro day at WMU, he came in at 6’1” and 178 lbs. with 32+” arms. He had a 4.47 time. He did a 37” VJ and a 10’6” BJ. Added a 4.09 in the shuttle with a 7.11 three-cone. Definite upside potential with work on his basics. Currently, he lacks the functional strength to test NFL caliber receivers. Shows a good closing burst that he uses well and should win a roster spot as a #4 or #5 in camp. Top 75 prospect after his strong final two seasons. Quality prospect probably fits in the 2nd day. Displayed quality starting talent. With a late start in rookie season he will most likely initially be only a backup corner with the skill set to continue to improve. With experience he will press for nickel corner role and eventually start once he settles into a system. Needs to be more physical to make it at the next level and earn playing time. Fine addition especially if he falls into middle rounds.
Safety Brandon Bryant #1 Mississippi St. 5-11 205 Sp. 4.55 Rating 65
Rangy versatile safety has been a productive defender for the Bulldogs secondary, starting the past three seasons. Strong athletic frame with good size and adequate speed and instincts. Shows the ball skills to play either safety role and possible be a three-down defender. Adequate range to go sideline to sideline and matchup in coverage, though needs work on his reads especially in the deep game. At his best on plays in front of him, where he sees plays developing instinctively and takes sound angles to the ball with the ability to finish with sure tackling. Plays a traditional strong safety role with developing overall ball skills in coverage. Aware and able to read the eyes of passers and get a jump on the ball. Better field than workout speed and gets in the right place at the right time. Usually a dependable open-field tackler with good hitting ability. In coverage, he times his leap well and displays good hands and body control. Depends on reading the QB’s eyes and closing on the ball and has difficulty recovering if he guesses wrong. Against the run, he may come up and fill the hole and wrap up with sure tackling. He drops down into the box and has some potential to blitz off the edge. As a junior in 2017, he made 7 starts with 32 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 pick and 2 PBU. He had a season high of 11 tackles vs Auburn. As a sophomore in 2016, he started 8 of 13 games and made 62 tackles with 1 TFL and 1 interception. At his pro day, he ran a 4.53 time and added a 10’3” BJ, 34” VJ with a 7.26 three cone and 4.23 shuttle. He was withheld from MSU’s spring practices for academic reasons and announced he was leaving the school in April. In three years at Mississippi St, he played 37 games, totaling 157 total tackles, five interceptions and one TD. He has a long frame and reach with a good base and flashes quickness and power. In time, a defender with talent to help in package defenses. Must prove capable of helping on special teams to earn roster spot. Good special teams’ performer in the SEC. His sure tackling and legitimate 4.50 speed can earn him time on coverage units. Development in coverage will determine if he plays in package defenses. Possible dime defender with development. Late addition or high priority FA with talent to develop further, but needs to impress in camp. Talent to be a role performer and probable key special teams’ defender. Type with physical talent, but raw from a coverage experience perspective. He needs an offseason program to improve technique and overall strength. Good FA signee with good long-term potential. Camp signee with make it grade.
NFL Supplemental Draft History
The NFL Supplemental Draft has been an annual mid-summer event since its inception in 1977. This year the process will again be in mid-July. The Supplemental Draft has allowed players who are three years removed from high school to enter the NFL Draft under this special selection process. It has become a little used player process with only marginal prospects over the past decade after supplying some premier prospects during the 1980s. It was created in 1977 to accommodate players who did not enter the NFL Draft either because they missed the filing deadline or their collegiate academic status changed after the draft. Currently, only 5 players who planned to attend college, but for various reasons could not, are eligible for this draft process. The Browns’ chose WR Josh Gordon in the 2nd round of 2012 while the Raiders’ picked QB Terrelle Pryor in the 3rd round in 2011. They were the only selections the previous four years before the Rams choose OT Isaiah Battle in the 5th round last July.
This selection process has seen only one or two players chosen annually since 1989 and the NFL Commissioner’s office considered terminating this player draft completely in recent years. Players selected in this process cost their club that selection pick in the following spring’s NFL Draft. Players chosen in this process are only a few weeks away from the start of NFL training camps and have missed all the vital mini-camps participation that usually makes it difficult to win a roster spot on final cuts in early September.
There was a time when teams routinely used premium selections in the Supplemental Draft and guys like QBs Bernie Kosar, Steve Walsh, Dave Brown and Timm Rosenbach, RB Bobby Humphrey, WR Rob Moore and LB Brian Bosworth were all 1st Round picks in the 80’s and 90’s. The Giants selected Brown in the 1st round of the ’92 Supplemental Draft, the last time a #1 choice was used by any NFL club.
In 1998, there were two future All-Pros were selected in the 2nd Round of the Supplemental Draft, with the Chargers selecting NT Jamal Williams and the Packers drafting OLG Mike Wahle. Other recent Supplemental Draft selections include Milford Brown (6th Round – Houston in 2002), Tony Hollings (2nd Round – Houston in 2003), Manuel Wright (5th Round – Miami in 2005) and Ahmad Brooks (3rd Round – Cincinnati in 2006). Since its inception in 1977 the most notable selections have been QB Bernie Kosar (Cleveland, 1985), Bobby Humphrey (1989), wide receivers Cris Carter (Philadelphia, 1987) and Rob Moore (Jets, 1990) and linebacker Brian Bosworth (Seattle, 1987). Kosar graduated as a junior during a time in which a player could only be drafted when his senior class graduated. Carter was suspended from Ohio State for signing with an agent. Pryor left Ohio State after he and other teammates were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for signing memorabilia.
Since the draft’s inception, only 43 players have been selected in the supplemental draft. A team that uses a supplemental pick forfeits the equivalent pick in the following year’s regular draft. For instance, if a team decides to use a first-round pick in the supplemental draft, it forfeits its first-round pick in the following’ year’s NFL Draft. Thus most teams, should they draft anyone at all, will wait until later rounds to draft a player. Teams are not obligated to draft anyone at all. Players who are not selected become rookie free agents, eligible to sign with any team.
History List of NFL Supplemental Draft Picks
As of 2018, 43 players have been taken in the NFL Supplemental Draft
1977 Al Hunter RB 4th Seattle Seahawks Notre Dame
1978 Johnnie Dirden WR 10th Houston Oilers Sam Houston St
1978 Rod Connors RB 12th San Francisco 49ers USC
1979 Rod Stewart RB 6th Buffalo Bills Kentucky
1980 Matthew Teague DE 7th Atlanta Falcons Prairie View A&M
1980 Billy Mullins WR 9th San Diego Chargers USC
1981 Dave Wilson QB 1st New Orleans Saints Illinois
1981 Chy Davidson WR 11th New England Patriots Rhode Island
1982 Kevin Robinson DB 9th Detroit Lions North Carolina A&T
1985 Bernie Kosar QB 1st Cleveland Browns Miami (Fl.)
1985 Roosevelt Snipes RB 8th San Francisco 49ers Florida St
1986 Charles Crawford RB 7th Philadelphia Eagles Oklahoma St
1987 Brian Bosworth LB 1st Seattle Seahawks Oklahoma
1987 Dan Sileo DT 3rd Tampa Bay Bucs Miami (Fl.)
1987 Cris Carter WR 4th Philadelphia Eagles Ohio St
1988 Ryan Bethea WR 5th Minnesota Vikings South Carolina
1989 Steve Walsh QB 1st Dallas Cowboys Miami (Fl.)
1989 Timm Rosenbach QB 1st Phoenix Cardinals Washington St
1989 Bobby Humphrey RB 1st Denver Broncos Alabama
1989 Brett Young DB 8th Buffalo Bills Oregon
1989 Mike Lowman RB 12th Dallas Cowboys Coffeyville CC
1990 Rob Moore WR 1st New York Jets Syracuse
1990 Willie Williams TE 9th Phoenix Cardinals LSU
1992 Dave Brown QB 1st New York Giants Duke
1992 Darren Mickell DE 2nd Kansas City Chiefs Florida
1994 Tito Wooten DB 4th New York Giants Louisiana-Monroe
1994 John Davis TE 5th Dallas Cowboys Emporia St
1995 Darren Benson DT 3rd Dallas Cowboys Trinity Valley CC
1998 Mike Wahle OT 2nd Green Bay Packers Navy
1998 Jamal Williams DT 2nd San Diego Chargers Oklahoma St
1999 J’Juan Cherry DB 4th New England Patriots Arizona St
2002 Milford Brown OL 6th Houston Texans Florida St
2003 Tony Hollings RB 2nd Houston Texans Georgia Tech
2005 Manuel Wright DT 5th Miami Dolphins USC
2006 Ahmad Brooks LB 3rd Cincinnati Bengals Virginia
2007 Paul Oliver S 4th San Diego Chargers Georgia
2007 Jared Gaither OT 5th Baltimore Ravens Maryland
2009 Jeremy Jarmon DE 3rd Washington Redskins Kentucky
2010 Josh Price Bren t DT 7th Dallas Cowboys Illinois
2010 Harvey Unga RB 7th Chicago Bears BYU
2011 Terrelle Pryor QB 3rd Oakland Raiders Ohio St.
2012 Josh Gordon WR 2nd Cleveland Browns Baylor
2013 No Player selected
2014 No Player selected
2015 Isaiah Battle OT 5th Los Angeles Rams Clemson
2016 No Player selected
2017 No Player selected
