The St. Louis Rams selected Isaiah Battle (Offensive Tackle, Clemson University) in the NFL 2015 Supplemental Draft Thursday. It was the first and only selection in this year’s supplemental draft.
By: Cory Burrell
According to Optimum Scouting’s Eric Galko’s projections for players in the supplemental draft, Battle “immediately looks the part of an outside lineman in the NFL” and “doesn’t look far off from being an NFL starter by season’s end, especially if he lands in an offense that works more 3-step drops.”
Battle was considered by most scouts to be the top prospect in this year’s supplemental draft. Listing at 6-foot-7 and 290 lbs., Battle played in 27 games (15 starts) over the past three season with Clemson, including 12 games (11 starts) in 2014 for a 10-3 Clemson team that finished 15th in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
Battle possesses NFL-caliber talent, but he has also dealt with issues both on and off the field. In 2013, Battle was ejected from a game after punching North Carolina State University defensive back Jarvis Byrd and suspended an additional for the incident. In 2014, Battle suited up but did not play in one game against Syracuse University because of undisclosed disciplinary reasons.
Last month, Battle was pulled over by Clemson City Police on June 11th, where police found 12 grams of marijuana in Battle’s car. Battle was cited for simple possession of marijuana, speeding, and having no proof of insurance, but he was not charged.
On the 25th of June, fourteen days following the citations, Battle announced he was entering the NFL Supplemental Draft for family reasons.
“I have some family matters to address, with a child due this summer, and I feel it is in my best interest to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft,” Battle said in a statement from Clemson. “I want to thank everyone at Clemson, especially Coach Swinney and the assistant coaches, for what they have done for me the last three years. I also want to thank my teammates. They have all had a big impact on my career.”
St. Louis gave up a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft for Battle. In a release from the team, St. Louis General Manager Les Snead said the Rams plan to have Battle ready for his rookie season “a year from now.”
“We felt it was an opportunity to get an earlier round value for a later round price,” Snead said. “He’s going to practice what would’ve been his final year of college eligibility with us, go through our offseason program, and then start his rookie season a year from now…This will allow us to bring him along gradually both on and off the field. Now it’s up to Isaiah and us to go work to reach his potential as a person and player.”
Battle will face plenty of competition for a future spot on the team among other promising offensive linemen on the Rams. Notable young talent on St Louis’ depth chart includes left tackle Greg Robinson, the second overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, and right tackle Rob Havenstein, the 57th pick of the 2015 NFL draft.
Battle was the first player taken in the supplemental draft since 2012, when wide receiver Josh Gordon was selected by the Cleveland Browns.
The following six players were also eligible for this year’s supplemental draft: defensive end/outside linebacker Darrius Caldwell, University of West Georgia; defensive tackle Dalvon Stuckey, University of West Georgia; outside linebacker Eric Eiland, University of Houston; tight end Sean McQuillan, University of Connecticut; cornerback Kevin Short, University of Kansas; wide receiver/kick returner/punt returner Adrian Wilkins, North Carolina Central University. No team selected these players in the supplemental draft, making them free agents able to sign with any team.
According to Optimum Scouting’s Eric Galko’s projections for players in the supplemental draft, the top three undrafted players of the supplemental draft are Caldwell, Wilkins, and Stuckey, who likely will not sign until closer to the start of training camp. Caldwell has the most interest of the three, with three to four teams considering him for a training camp spot.
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