The 2015 NFL supplemental draft will take place on July 9, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). As Rapoport notes, with some intriguing prospects eligible to be selected in this year’s supplemental draft, we could have our first player selected since the Browns picked Josh Gordon in 2012.
The supplemental draft allows clubs to select players who for some reason were unable to enter the standard draft; academic trouble or disciplinary issues are often – but not always – key factors. If a team selects a player in the supplementary draft, it will lose its corresponding pick in the following year’s standard draft. For example, if a club were to select a player in the fourth round of the supplemental, it will lose its 2016 fourth-rounder as a result.
Most players who enter the supplemental draft ultimately go undrafted, allowing them to become free agents and sign with any team. That has been the case over the last two years, as supplemental draft day came and went without any selections. The last two players to be picked were Terrelle Pryor (third round, 2011) by the Raiders and Gordon (second round, 2012).
So far, four players are known to have declared for the 2015 supplemental draft: Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle, West Georgia defensive tackle Dalvon Stuckey, West Georgia defensive end Darrius Caldwell, and North Carolina Central receiver Adrian Wilkins. Battle, in particular, is viewed as a strong candidate to come off the board, as we heard last week.
Meanwhile, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, the two West Georgia prospects are scheduled to work out for NFL scouts this Thursday afternoon. Per Wilson, 20 NFL teams have indicated that they plan to attend the session.