The NFL will be holding their annual Supplemental Draft on Thursday for underclassmen who didn't apply for early entrance in April's NFL Draft by the designated deadline. These players are ineligible to play college football for the following season (some for disciplinary reasons), so they made their decision to take their talent to the next level.
Some players of note who have been selected in previous Supplemental Drafts:
1985-Bernie Kosar/QB/Cleveland Browns-First Round
1987-Brian Bosworth/LB/Seattle Seahawks-First Round
1987-Cris Carter/WR/Philadelphia Eagles-Fourth Round
1990-Rob Moore/WR/New York Jets-First Round
1998-Jamal Williams/DT/San Diego Chargers-Second Round
2006-Ahmad Brooks/LB/Cincinnati Bengals-Third Round
2007-Jared Gaither/OT/Baltimore Ravens-Fifth Round
The Rules
Immediately before each supplemental draft begins, the NFL office will conduct a lottery to determine the selection order of all 32 teams, weighted as follows:
(A) Each member club's position will be weighted by assigning the weakest club the greatest number of lottery chances and the strongest club the fewest number. Team strength and weakness will be determined by the order of the first round of the immediately prior to April's draft, exclusive of any trades affecting that prior draft (i.e., the weakest club will have its name in the drawing 32 times, the next weakest 31 times, etc., until the Super Bowl winner will have its name in once.)
(B) Lottery chances for the weakest teams (those teams which won six or fewer games in the prior regular season) will be placed together in a container and drawn to determine the initial arrangement of places in the selection order equal to the total number of those teams.
(C) Lottery chances for the remaining teams, with the exception of the playoff teams, will then be placed together in a container and drawn to determine their places following those determined in the first drawing.
(D) Lottery chances for the playoff teams next will be placed together in a container and drawn to determine the remaining places in the selection order.
Once everything is set, any team that is interested in one of the eligible players sends in the name or names with the corresponding round they are interested in choosing them with.
Similar to an auction in fantasy football, the team that turns in the highest bid will be awarded that player. If two more or teams bid on a player from the same round, the team that placed highest selection in that round will be awarded the player.
Whatever round the player is selected in during the Supplemental Draft, that team will lose that draft choice in the same round in next year's NFL Draft.
The Players
According to several scouting sources, BYU RB Harvey Unga (6-1, 244) figures to be the only player selected during the Supplemental Draft.
Here's a scouting report on Unga from a pro personnel source who watched his coaching tape recently:
Positives
-- Light on his feet for a big man.
-- Moves well laterally.
-- Possesses good hands.
-- Good understanding of spacing, willing to be patient with the ball in his hands.
Negatives
-- Does not play with enough leverage, does not get his pad level low enough consistently.
-- Too much of a finesse player and does not play up to his listed size.
-- Not fit to play fullback because he's not physical enough.
-- Long injury history.
Round Grade: 7th.
Other players who could sign as undrafted free agents:
Vanness Emokpae/FB/Truman St.
Quentin Castille/RB/Northwestern St.
Joshua Price-Brent/DT/Illinois
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