This year’s NFL Supplemental Draft might actually be interesting

Usually, the National Football League’s Supplemental Draft is a non-event. A few fringe players that have had their circumstances change since the end of the previous college football season declare their eligibility, the draft passes with nobody getting selected, and those that applied are generally forgotten. In the last 10 Supplemental Drafts, only six players have been selected. The most notable names from that group are Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver Josh Gordon and New York Jets’ wide receiver Terrelle Pryor.

This year’s Supplemental Draft, however, could be different. It will take place on 11 July, about two weeks before the Minnesota Vikings report for Training Camp, and there is a high likelihood that there will be multiple players selected in the Supplemental Draft for the first time since 2010.

Thus far, five prospects have declared for this year’s Supplemental Draft, including a couple that carried high grades for the 2019 NFL Draft. Here is the list of prospects that have declared:

• Adonis Alexander, CB, Virginia Tech
• Sam Beal, CB, Western Michigan
• Brandon Bryant, CB, Mississippi State
• Marty Carter, RB, Grand Valley State
• Bright Ugwoegbu, LB, Oregon State

Beal is considered to be the best prospect of the group, and representatives of all 32 NFL teams attended to Pro Day Workout he put on a couple of days ago. Beal, whose name had been appearing in the first round of 2019 Mock Drafts around the internet prior to his declaration for the Supplemental Draft, put together a pretty good workout for everyone in attendance.

In 2012, the Browns used a second-round bid in the Supplemental Draft to select Gordon. Beal will likely fetch at least that much.

Alexander is another interesting prospect. He’s played cornerback at Virginia Tech, but has the size (6’3” and about 205 pounds) where he could make the transition to safety in the NFL. Like Beal, he was on track to be selected pretty highly in the 2019 NFL Draft. However, the NCAA ruled that he was academically ineligible for the 2018 season, and so he declared for the Supplemental Draft. He will almost certainly be selected as well, but won’t be selected anywhere near has high up as Beal is. Our friends over at Field Gulls think that Alexander might be worth a fifth-round selection.

Bryant is a bit of a fringe prospect. He had his Pro Day workout earlier this week, but he didn’t do anything that really stood out. He might get selected, but I’d be surprised if it happened.

We know that Mike Zimmer loves his defensive backs, but it sounds like unless the team is willing to pony up next year’s first round pick for the right to snag Beal, the Vikings will not be making their first Supplemental Draft pick since selecting the immortal Ryan Bethea. . .yeah, I don’t know who that is, either. . .in the 1988 Supplemental Draft. But at least this year, unlike past years, there’s a little bit of intrigue to be had.