Cris Carter: The greatest Supplemental Draft choice in NFL history

If it seems like we’re doing a lot of “list-a-mania” types of posts here lately, that’s only because. . .well, we are. And we’ve got another one for you where a former Minnesota Vikings great ends up on the top because he’s an obvious choice.

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports put together a list of the Top 10 Supplemental Draft selections of all time, and Hall of Famer Cris Carter is at the top of the list. As Trapasso notes, Carter is the only player selected in the Supplemental Draft to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Carter had a phenomenal run of eight-straight 1,000-plus yard seasons — which justifiably ended with Pro Bowl selections — and a pair of first-team All-Pro distinctions in 1994 and 1999. He once led the league in receptions and three times had the most receiving touchdowns in football. His 130 career receiving scores still rank fourth in NFL history, and he’s one of 18 pass-catchers with 13,000 or more yards in his career.

Still blows my mind that the guy had to wait six years before getting into the Hall of Fame, but he did finally make it.

Carter, of course, was not selected by the Vikings in the Supplemental Draft. Instead, he was taken in the fourth round of the 1987 Supplemental Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Carter was pretty solid on the field with the Eagles, including racking up 11 touchdown catches in 1989, but he had numerous off the field issues and was waived by Philadelphia that offseason.

The Vikings then made Carter the greatest waiver claim in NFL history, before he was the greatest Supplemental Draft pick in NFL history, as they famously paid a cool $100 to acquire his services. It took him a couple of seasons to hit his stride in Minnesota under Dennis Green, but he eventually became one of the NFL’s best at his position. He put together eight straight 1,000-yard seasons, led the league in receptions in 1994 by catching a then-NFL record 122 passes, and led the league in touchdown receptions three times.

Carter is the only player with any Vikings connections to make Trapasso’s list.

We don’t know when the 2020 Supplemental Draft is going to be, or even who’s in it, for that matter. . .Trapasso speculates that it will be in the second week of July, but nobody knows for sure. It will likely also be uneventful, as most Supplemental Drafts are, particularly in light of the fact that players will not be allowed to declare for it based on COVID-19 related concerns. That means only players in unique circumstances will be able to declare.

If anything does happen with the Supplemental Draft, we’ll be sure to bring it to you here.