Courtesy of the good people at FalcFans comes this story that has the Falcons considering a couple of supplemental draft picks.
The guys they're looking at don't sound like awe inspiring specimens, but whatever. It's not called the supplemental draft because all the good players wait for it, it's called the supplemental draft because teams get to pick up warm bodies to supplement their rosters.
The first guy is Chris Patrick, who at 6'4 and 296 is absolutely not going to play tackle for the Falcons. If the team is looking for a future starter or solid backup at guard, however, then the former Nebraska tackle might be worth a fifth or sixth round pick in the 2008 draft. If the team's impressed enough with him, might as well just use one of those picks this year and get someone who has an immediate chance to help out, rather than wait and draft someone just like him a year later.
Paul Oliver's a cornerback out of (surprise!) Georgia. He's very smooth in coverage for the most part, but he's got a red flag for being academically ineligible for this year. I know not everyone in the NFL is a genius, but I tend to like cornerbacks to be fast learners. The other blood red flag that's on fire is his speed, clocked somewhere between 4.5 and 4.6. For a position that requires speed, that's somewhere between a tad slow and glacial. I'm not saying he couldn't be a big help as a nickel guy, but I wouldn't expect much more than that. I could also see the Falcons using a fifth or sixth round pick on him.
It might sound like I'm down on the prospect of picking either up, but that's actually not true at all. If the Falcons really think they can contribute, it's better to just go ahead and use a couple of picks...as long as they're low rounders. If Patrick or Oliver go for a 3rd or 4th round pick, I'm going to be more than a little pissed considering the fairly significant flaws in their games.