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While wading through the dearth of news that is the NFL dead period, you might have forgotten all about the Supplemental Draft—which is happening today, July 11, at 1pm ET. Normally, the players in the Supplemental Draft are relative afterthoughts and the vast majority simply wind up joining the ranks of the undrafted free agents (UDFAs). However, there is a bit more intrigue in the 2018 class with two high-level players entering the mix due to academic ineligibility.
If you’d like more information on how the Supplemental Draft works, ex-Falcoholic and current SB Nation hotshot Charles McDonald wrote up a great piece explaining the process, complete with short blurbs about the individual prospects.
Here is a list of the five players that have declared for the 2018 NFL Supplemental Draft:
- CB Adonis Alexander, Virginia Tech
- CB Sam Beal, Western Michigan
- S Brandon Bryant, Mississippi State
- RB Martayveus Carter, Grand Valley State
- LB Bright Ugwoegbu, Oregon State
The two big names are right at the top: Alexander and Beal are both quality CBs that could have gotten top-100 hype in the 2019 NFL Draft. However, with the Falcons’ current situation at CB, it seems unlikely that the team would be interested in investing a 2019 pick—perhaps a 3rd or 4th for Alexander and a 2nd or 3rd for Beal—in a player who would likely be fighting for a roster spot against the likes of Justin Bethel and Blidi Wreh-Wilson for CB5 or CB6, respectively.
The remaining three players could easily wind up undrafted or taken very late, which could open the door for the Falcons to snag one if they’re truly intrigued. In particular, Mississippi State’s Brandon Bryant has the athleticism and physicality that the team likes from their defensive backs. Atlanta was on hand for Bryant’s Pro Day workout, so there is clearly some interest there.
The 5’11, 200 lb. Bryant is a versatile defender that has spent time at both safety spots and at CB, and he’s rumored to have run a 4.24 40-yard dash at some point in his career. He’s clearly a tremendous athlete, if a bit raw technically, and the Falcons still haven’t found a long-term back-up behind Neal at SS.
Bryant had a DUI in 2017 and was held out of spring training for academic reasons, which caused him to enter the 2018 Supplemental Draft. The Falcons have been pretty stingy about selecting players with character concerns in recent years. If the price for Bryant was only a 6th or 7th round selection, however, that is a low-risk, high-reward situation that might appeal to Atlanta.
After all, the team is currently slotted to receive two compensatory picks in the 2019 NFL Draft—which might make parting with a late Day 3 pick for a high-upside player like Bryant an even easier decision. It’s also entirely possible that the team will simply wait to see if Bryant goes undrafted, and attempt to pick up him as a UDFA.
The most likely situation, of course, is that the Falcons don’t make any moves and simply stand pat with one of the most talented rosters in football. I guess that would be OK, too.
What are your thoughts on the players in the 2018 Supplemental Draft? Do you think the Falcons should try to select any of the five available prospects?