2018 NFL Supplemental Draft offers value; Keenan Allen's secret
- By Bucky Brooks
- NFL.com Analyst
- Published: July 6, 2018 at 04:38 p.m.
- Updated: July 6, 2018 at 05:57 p.m.
Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. The topics of this edition include:
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The NFL Supplemental Draft rarely garners much attention from the football world, but this year's event features a number of promising prospects with the potential to impact teams as contributors this season. This is certainly uncommon for a draft that typically features misfits and cast-offs with spotty records and character flaws. Despite those red flags, the supplemental draft has produced some high-level playmakers in the past, with guys like
Hall of Fame inductee Cris Carter,
Josh Gordon and
Terrelle Pryor making their mark in the league after being mid-summer draft picks.
That said, the decision to expend a future pick on a player with academic or off-field issues is a risky play in a league where executives cherish draft currency. To select a player in the supplemental draft, a team will submit a bid with a round value attached to a prospect. If multiple teams submit bids, the player goes to the highest bidder, according to a slotted lottery system that breaks up teams into three different groups: non-playoff teams with six or fewer wins, non-playoff teams with more than six wins and playoff teams. The winning bidder agrees to give up the round selection in the following year's NFL draft. For instance, the
Cleveland Browns used a second-round pick on Gordon in the 2012 supplemental draft, thus surrendering their second-round selection in the regular draft the following spring.
With the risk-reward value in mind, let's take a look at the five prospects available in this year's supplemental draft, which will take place on Wednesday, July 11 at 1 p.m. ET:
Sam Beal, CB, Western Michigan: As the hottest name in this year's supplemental draft, Beal has garnered plenty of attention from the NFL scouting community. The 6-foot-1, 187-pounder not only has plus size, but he displays outstanding movement skills and agility on the perimeter. Beal looks like a natural cover corner on the island with the potential to play in a nose-to-nose position or from distance. He flashes outstanding footwork, balance and body control shadowing receivers while staying in their hip pocket down the field. Beal's discipline and detail in coverage suggest that he could grow into a front-line player in a diverse scheme that features man and zone concepts with a variety of techniques.
Critically speaking, Beal needs to work on his physicality and toughness as a run defender. He doesn't aggressively seek out contact on the edge, and his reluctance to engage ball carriers could make him a liability on a gap-control defense that forces runners to bounce to the outside. Now, I certainly understand the challenges of being a solid tackler as a sub-200-pounder, but Beal's suspect effort stands out on tape and must be addressed if he is going to be a solid player at the next level.
From a playmaking standpoint, Beal could also show better ball skills, having snagged just two interceptions as a two-year starter for the
Broncos. Granted, he finished his career with 19 passes defensed, but elite corners create turnovers. This former high school track star hasn't produced enough takeaways on the island.
Beal's academic issues and other shortcomings will bother some evaluators, but his exceptional talent and natural cover skills will make him a top selection in the supplemental draft. Given his solid film and
the strong workout at his pro day (clocked 40-yard-dash times in the 4.47-4.55 range with a 37-inch vertical leap, 10-6 broad jump, 4.09 20-yard shuttle and 7.11 three-cone drill), Beal could emerge as a second-round pick on Wednesday.
Adonis Alexander, CB, Virginia Tech: In a league where it's hard to find 6-foot corners with solid cover skills and tackling ability, scouts will give a big corner with a few off-field blemishes plenty of chances to prove his worth as a pro. That's one of the reasons why Alexander is likely to come off the board as a mid-round selection in this year's supplemental draft. Looking at his game on tape, it is easy to fall in love with his size, length and press-man skills. Alexander smothers receivers at the line of scrimmage with his aggressive shadow technique, while also displaying good instincts and ball skills. He routinely pins receivers to the sideline with the ball in the air to minimize the target area for the quarterback on downfield throws. In addition, Alexander will use his superior length to swat away 50-50 balls in critical situations.
From a critical standpoint, Alexander's game is still a work in progress, with the young corner needing to refine his footwork and technique in press and off coverage. He is a straight-line athlete without the movement skills or change-of-direction ability to execute head whips or speed turns in coverage. Alexander's shady footwork gets exposed against big-time wide receivers (see: last season's West Virginia game), which leads to concerns about his potential to grow into a CB1 or CB2 as a pro. Considering the off-field problems (
academic ineligibility and a marijuana arrest) and the so-so pro day (clocked 40 times in the high-4.5/low-4.6 range with a 35.5-inch vertical leap, 10-4 broad jump, 4.38 20-yard shuttle and 7.18 three-cone drill), Alexander's stock will take a tumble from early 2019 draft estimates that once pegged him as a possible top-50 selection. That said, he should be selected in the third round by a team looking for a
Richard Sherman type on the perimeter.
Brandon Bryant, SS, Mississippi State: There are always spots in the NFL for talented athletes with exceptional physical traits. That's why scouts were paying close attention to Bryant as a prospect after he earned recognition as one of the most explosive college football players in 2016 and '17. Despite failing to perform up to
lofty expectations during his pro day, Bryant posted respectable numbers for his position (checking in at 5-foot-11 and 207 pounds with 4.45/4.52 40 times, a 34-inch vertical and a 10-3 broad jump) in front of representatives from 14 teams.
On tape, Bryant flashes decent movement skills, range and toughness, but he isn't a playmaker in the back end. Although he tallied five career interceptions as a Bulldog, he snagged three of those picks in 2015 and didn't make much of an impact after his initial success. With questions surrounding his work ethic, discipline and attention to detail after his on-field (blown coverages) and academic struggles, Bryant is likely to be a seventh round/priority free agent prospect on most boards around the league.
Bright Ugwoegbu, LB, Oregon State: It is hard for undersized linebackers to make it in the league when they lack explosive speed, quickness and burst. That's why Ugwoegbu could face an uphill climb after posting pedestrian numbers at his pro day following a nondescript playing career in Corvallis. The 6-1, 205-pounder clocked 40 times in the 4.9 range and put up the kind of numbers in the other agility drills that suggest he could move to a secondary position as a pro. With film also confirming that point through his lackluster play as a part-time starter over three seasons, Ugwoegbu is a long shot to hear his name called on Wednesday.
Martayveus Carter, RB, Grand Valley State:
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