The Email Draft Preview
July 9, 2019
By Jay Evans
The NFL supplemental draft takes place on July 10th. It offers teams an option to select a player who wasn’t available in the 2019 NFL draft in April. The July draft comes with much less fanfare and far more risk, but it is a chance for the Redskins to improve their roster.
The draft is conducted by email, isn’t televised, and rarely makes an impact, but there are a couple of intriguing prospects available this year worthy of a claim.
Players must have lost eligibility for the upcoming collegiate season to be eligible for entrance into the supplemental draft.
If a team selects a player in the supplemental draft, then the team will forfeit its pick in the corresponding round in the following April draft. The players available tend to have “red flags,” but it does provide a team with a rostered player a year earlier than the player would have been traditionally been obtainable.
Wide receiver Cris Carter is the lone supplemental pick to ever become a hall of famer. Drafted by the Eagles with a fourth-round selection, Carter was ruled ineligible for his senior year by the NCAA because he signed with an agent.
2012 supplemental pick Josh Gordon is the only player in the past ten drafts to make a pro bowl. Gordon entered the supplemental draft after an indefinite suspension issued by then-Baylor head coach Art Briles for repeated drug violations and a brief transfer to Utah where he sat out the 2011 season. Taken by the Browns with a second-round selection, the immensely talented Gordon continues to battle addiction and faces an indefinite ban from the NFL for his repeated violations.
The Redskins have made two selections in the supplemental draft over the past 10 years. Defensive lineman Jeremy Jarmon was selected in 2009 with a third-round pick and defensive back Adonis Alexander was selected with a sixth-round pick last year.
Jarmon opted for the supplemental draft following a positive test for a banned substance and showed some promise as a prospect, but an injury and scheme change stunted his development. Traded in 2011 for Jabar Gaffney, Jarmon played one more season in Denver before retiring at age 24.
Alexander was chosen in the sixth-round after he was ruled academically ineligible for the 2018 collegiate season. Viewed as a shrewd, albeit, predictable move by the Redskins, the Virginia Tech product had strong ties to the coaching staff and fellow Hokie defensive teammates Tim Settle and Greg Stroman, who were selected in the regular April draft.
Alexander saw spot duties last season, and this coming season will be crucial to his development. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports described Alexander as a prospect with “moments of first-round play” as well as “undrafted free-agent caliber hiccups.” The presiding belief was that Alexander could have commanded a higher pick, perhaps as early as a third, in last year’s supplemental draft, but the Redskins were in the right range offering a sixth.
This year there are five entrants in the supplemental draft and a couple of prospects have been linked to the Redskins. Safety Jalen Thompson from Washington State and wide receiver Marcus Simms of West Virginia are the two players expected to be drafted on Wednesday.
Defensive back Bryant Perry of St. Francis, linebacker Shyheim Cullen of Syracuse, and tight end Devonaire Clarington of Northland Community College are the remaining prospects who can sign with an NFL franchise should they go undrafted.
Jalen Thompson is a hybrid safety/slot corner who displays fluid athleticism and is an aggressive run defender with plus awareness. In 13 games at safety last season, Thompson made 66 tackles, defended eight passes and forced two interceptions.
John Keim reported the Redskins were represented at Thompson’s workout by BLESTO scouting service and will receive a copy of his workout and medical reports. In three seasons, Thompson totaled 191 tackles, started 39 games, and was expected to be a potential early-round draft choice in next year’s NFL Draft.
Thompson announced he was turning pro after losing his eligibility due to using an NCAA banned over-the-counter supplement and could command a second-round pick to acquire in the supplemental draft.
The Redskins did have personnel in attendance for Simms’ workout in Maryland where he measured 5’11” and 188 pounds. The wide receiver posted three 40 times all in the 4.4 range, a 36-inch vertical, and a 10-foot-2.5-inch broad jump. His three-cone came in around 6.91 seconds and Simms completed position drills for about 30 minutes in 100 degree heat with half of the league present.
On the field, Simms tracks the ball well and displays quickness in and out of his breaks. Production was never stellar for the former Mountaineer, accounting for 46 catches, 699 yards, and two scores last season, but he offers major upside as a special team returner.
Simms has much more concerning baggage off the field than on, including two separate DUIs and a marijuana offense. Simms could be drafted in the middle rounds of the supplemental draft, but will likely go later considering the issues surrounding the Maryland native’s tenure in Morgantown.
Currently the Redskins have six draft picks for the 2020 NFL draft, but none in the second or sixth-rounds. Their second-round selection was sent to the Colts in exchange for Montez Sweat and their sixth-round pick is going to the Broncos from the Case Keenum trade.
The wide receiver and safety positions were expected to be targeted by the Redskins in the most recent NFL draft. The Redskins addressed the wide receiver position in the draft by selecting Terry McLauren (third round) and Kelvin Harmon (sixth round). They did not select a safety in the draft instead opting for cornerback Jimmy Moreland in the seventh round.
The Redskins need to improve their wide receiver play, but Simms would have to beat out Cam Sims, Jehu Chessen, Brian Quick and Robert Davis to earn the final wide receiver roster spot. The risk with Marcus Simms is too great to submit a middle-round draft pick. The chance to add a true return threat is enticing, but I wouldn’t offer anything greater than a seventh-round pick for the troubled receiver.
Jalen Thompson is the more intriguing prospect and could occupy a role on the Redskins defense they have been attempting to fill since the selection of Su’a Cravens in the second round of the 2016 draft. A hybrid safety capable of covering tight ends in the middle of the field has been a major weakness for years and Thompson could be the answer.
If the Redskins consider Thompson an upgrade to the safety group, I would submit their third-round pick. He would immediately challenge Troy Apke and Deshazor Everett for a backup role and strengthen the overall depth chart. It’s easy to imagine Thompson on special teams and in sub packages early in the season, eventually competing for the starting safety position opposite Landon Collins.
This would leave the Redskins with only their first-round selection in the 2020 draft until the fourth round, but they would have both Montez Sweat and Thompson on the roster a year early than the 2020 draft picks would have arrived and in better standing for the upcoming season. Wednesday’s supplemental draft should be interesting – now we just have to wait until the emails are sent.