The NFL's annual draft each spring serves as the league's primary pathway for welcoming new talent to its 32 teams. The event spans across three days and dominates the offseason calendar, generating significant attention and shaping narratives ahead of the new season.
In certain years, the league also conducts a supplemental draft, a lesser-known process that gives eligible players another route into the NFL. These are typically athletes whose college eligibility status changed after the deadline for the regular draft.
There had been speculation that the supplemental draft could return this year following the gambling controversy involving quarterback Brendan Sorsby. However, Sorsby was ultimately granted an additional season of college eligibility at Texas Tech Red Raiders, eliminating the need for his entry into the supplemental process.
What is the NFL Supplemental Draft?
Introduced in 1977, the NFL supplemental draft is designed for players who become draft-eligible after missing the registration deadline for the standard NFL Draft. Many participants enter the pool after losing college eligibility because of academic issues, disciplinary matters, or other unforeseen circumstances.
How does the supplemental draft work?
Unlike the regular NFL Draft, the supplemental draft follows a different selection system. Teams are placed into three groups based on the previous season's results, i.e, clubs that won six games or fewer, non-playoff teams that finished above that threshold and the 14 teams that reached the playoffs
The order within each tier is determined by lottery. Rather than making selections in turn, teams submit confidential bids using draft picks from the following year's draft. The franchise willing to surrender the highest pick secures the player and forfeits that corresponding selection in the next NFL Draft.
The supplemental draft consists of seven rounds.
How often is it held?
The NFL only stages a supplemental draft when eligible prospects are available. The most recent edition took place in 2023, when former Jackson State Tigers football receiver Malachi Wideman and former Purdue Boilermakers football receiver Milton Wright were eligible. Neither player was selected.
The last player chosen through the supplemental draft was defensive back Jalen Thompson, whom the Arizona Cardinals acquired in 2019.
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