Traylon Shead

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/10/22

A bunch of teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and these front offices are now starting to prepare for the offseason. Today, a number of players were inked to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (mostly) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. We’ve compiled today’s reserve/futures contracts below:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Latest On 2014 Supplemental Draft

The NFL’s supplemental draft will take place tomorrow at noon central time, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), who lists the four players eligible to be selected: New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton, Virginia-Lynchburg defensive lineman LaKendrick Ross, SMU running back Traylon Shead, and UNC linebacker Darius Lipford. While we’d previously heard about the first three prospects, Lipford’s inclusion is new.

A year ago, none of the six players eligible for the supplemental draft were picked, and that may be the case again this year. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reported yesterday that no teams he’d spoken to had a draftable grade on any players eligible to be selected this year.

Still, many teams are at least doing their due diligence on this year’s supplemental draft class. The Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, and Texans reportedly attended the workout for Ross, while the Cowboys, Texans, Packers, Colts, Lions, Giants, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Bears were in attendance to watch Shead work out.

The supplemental draft is intended to accommodate players who missed the deadline for May’s NFL draft or were declared ineligible for another reason. If a team wants to select a player in the supplemental draft, it must let the league know the round in which it’s willing to select that player. The club which submits the highest round will receive the player and forfeit a 2015 draft pick in that same round. For instance, when the Browns used a second-round supplemental choice on Josh Gordon in 2012, it meant that the team lost its second-round pick for the 2013 draft.

Latest On NFL Supplemental Draft

A pair of prospects eligible for this month’s NFL supplemental draft recently held Pro Days, which were attended by a handful of teams, according to various reports. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears from agent Louis Bing that the Cowboys, Texans, Packers, Colts, Lions, Giants, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Bears were in attendance to watch SMU running back Traylon Shead work out. Meanwhile, according to NFLDraftDiamonds.com (via PFT), the Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, and Texans attended the workout for former Virginia-Lynchburg defensive lineman LaKendrick Ross.

As Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report wrote last month when he previewed 2014’s supplemental draft, it doesn’t project to be too exciting an affair, with Shead, Ross, and New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton among the players eligible. A year ago, none of the six players eligible for the 2013 supplemental draft were selected, and it looks like this year’s crop of players won’t warrant more than late-round picks, if they’re taken at all.

The supplemental draft is intended to accommodate players who missed the deadline for May’s NFL draft or were declared ineligible for another reason. In some cases, players eligible for the supplemental draft land there as a result of being declared academically ineligible in the NCAA, or being kicked off of a team — this helps to explain why some of the more notable players selected in recent supplemental drafts – such as Josh Brent and Josh Gordon – have had off-field concerns.

If a team wants to select a player in the supplemental draft, it must let the league know the round in which it’s willing to select that player. The club which submits the highest round will receive the player and forfeit a 2015 draft pick in that same round. For instance, when the Browns used a second-round supplemental choice on Gordon in 2012, it meant that the team lost its second-round pick for the 2013 draft.

Pompei Previews Supplemental Draft

The NFL’s supplemental draft is fast approaching, but it doesn’t look like there will be much action. Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei briefly previews the July draft and comes to the conclusion that it will be a “dud.”

At this moment, there only appears to be two players available: New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton and SMU running back Traylon Shead.

Clayton could potentially be a late-round pick “if he has a great workout”, a scout told Pompei. However, two other scouts were “dubious” about his chances. Clayton had a solid season in 2012, particularly in the return game. He returned 20 kicks for 608 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 209 yards on 32 carries. Last season, Clayton injured his knee in the team’s opening game against UTSA. The injury was expected to knock him out for two weeks, but Clayton ended up missing the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, Pompei’s scouts think less of Shead’s chances, but say he could be brought in for training camp and could eventually earn a practice squad spot. Shead had 51 rushes for 197 yards and three scores last season and was once a highly-regarded prospect. Nonetheless, Pompei’s scouts say that the player has “ball security problems and wasn’t a consistent pass-protector.”

The last time we saw a player selected in the supplemental draft was 2012, when the Browns selected wide receiver Josh Gordon in the second round.