What is a supplemental draft in the NFL? How does it work?

Created as a means to allow players in specific situations to enter the league, the NFL supplemental draft has at times offered up some talented prospects who in turn went on to become impressive prospects in the NFL.

What is the NFL supplemental draft?

Simply put, the NFL’s supplemental draft accommodates players in unique situations. The most common of these is a collegiate player being ruled ineligible for the upcoming season after the regular (April) draft, which, without the supplemental draft, would leave him in limbo for an entire year. Should a player wish to be included in the supplemental draft, he must then submit a formal petition to the league. It should be said, however, that there is no guarantee that a player’s application will be accepted resulting in him being admitted. Needless to say, any play requesting admission must be at least three years removed from high school in order to be eligible.

Now, you might be thinking that this is some form of ‘lost and found’ section for the NFL, but make no mistake there is most definitely talent available in the supplemental draft. Consider for a moment, Purdue’s wide receiver Milton Wright. Ruled ineligible for the 2022 college football season due to academic reasons, Milton left the program in May of last year. The season prior to that, he posted 57 catches for 732 yards, with seven touchdowns. According to reports, Wright is now eligible.

How does NFL’s supplemental draft work?

Unlike the traditional NFL Draft, the supplemental draft order utilizes a different order. For starters, teams are separated into three groups based on their performance during the previous season. The first group consists of non-playoff teams that recorded six or fewer wins, while the second group is made up of those who won more than six games, but didn’t make the playoffs. Lastly, we’ve got those who made a trip to the postseason. Regarding how the order in each group is determined, this is done via a weighted lottery. Naturally, the teams with the fewest wins have the best chance to win the earliest picks.

Interestingly, bids for players are submitted blindly by teams along with the round in which the team would like to select a given player. Finally, the team that sits highest in the draft order, and has successfully submitted the earliest-round bid for a player will receive that player in the Draft. It’s definitely worth noting, that once a team has received a player, they actually forgo a pick in the same round of the following year’s normal draft.

Some notable names in the NFL supplemental drafts of the past

As we said before, while it might be easy to think one can’t find any players who are worthwhile in the supplemental draft, that’s simply not the case. Below you can see a handful of some top-tier talents who got their start in the NFL via a slightly more unconventional road.

The 2023 NFL Supplemental Draft is due to take place on Tuesday, July 11th, meaning any player who wishes to participate will need to submit their application prior to that date.