NFL teams were alerted over the holiday weekend of the six players eligible for Thursday's supplemental draft.
Alphabetically, they are:
DE James Boyd, UNLV
DT Nate Holloway, UNLV
DE Toby Jackson, Central Florida
WR DeWayne Peace, Houston
WR O.J. Ross, Purdue
DB Damond Smith, South Alabama
The two most prominent players are the receivers Peace and Ross (pictured above), who combined for 110 passes for 1,057 yards and four touchdowns in 2012 and were being counted on by their collegiate teams to produce even more as seniors.
Like most supplemental draft prospects - including several others from this year's class - Peace and Ross requested special eligibility for inclusion into the NFL's annual July draft because each ran into trouble at school.
Peace caught 54 passes for 603 yards and two scores in 2012 for the Cougars. Ross caught 56 passes for 454 yards and two touchdowns in 2012 for the Boilermakers.
Ross is the more dynamic athlete of the two.
The 5-11, 186-pounder possesses good quickness to make defenders miss and above average hands.He is more quick than fast, however, and may not possess the top-end speed teams are looking for in a mid-sized wideout. Ross was productive over his three seasons at Purdue after signing as a highly regarded prep out of Ormond Beach, Florida and leaves the school with 100 receptions for 959 yards and six scores. He saw time as a kick returner as a freshman, averaging 23.1 yards in 12 opportunities.
He was placed on indefinite suspension from the team in February for a violation of team rules. He previously missed the 2011 Little Caesars Bowl due to academics.
Peace was deemed academically ineligible and kicked off the team just last month. Like Ross, the 5-11, 190-pound Peace offers good lateral quickness but he does not possess the speed to run away from defenders.
