By Dianna Russini, Amos Morale and Dane Brugler
The NFL informed teams this week that there will not be a Supplemental Draft this year, league sources confirmed.
The Supplemental Draft, which is typically held each summer, was installed in 1977 as an option for draft-eligible players who did not declare for the regular NFL Draft. Normally, players who declare for the Supplemental Draft do so because of unexpected eligibility issues in college (academic or discipline).
A player hasn’t been selected in the Supplemental Draft over the last five years — the longest drought since its inception. The last player to be selected in the Supplemental Draft was Arizona Cardinals defensive back Jalen Thompson in 2019.
We haven’t seen a player drafted in the Supplemental Draft over the last 5 years – the longest drought since the Supp Draft started back in the ’70s.
Scouts won’t be sad to see it disappear completely. https://t.co/43v13oV2iR
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) June 27, 2024
Several noteworthy players began their NFL careers via the Supplemental Draft including quarterback Bernie Kosar (1985), receiver Cris Carter (1987) and receiver Josh Gordon (2012).
Since 1977, 46 players have been selected in the Supplemental Draft.
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How the NFL Supplemental Draft works
The Supplemental Draft has undergone multiple rule changes over the years. Unlike the NFL Draft in April which takes three days and garners millions of eyes, the Supplemental Draft normally takes 10 minutes and is not televised.
The draft order for the Supplemental Draft is based on a lottery system with teams essentially bidding on eligible players with the understanding they will have to forfeit their pick in that round in the following NFL Draft. However, with the recent evolution of the transfer rules, most college players who find themselves without a school due to academics or off-field issues are electing to transfer — without penalty — instead of trying to jump to the pros.
(Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
