The 2010 NFL Supplemental Draft will be held on July 15th.
For those of you who don’t know what is, it’s a chance for prospects who either weren’t eligible for the 2010 Draft or are ineligible for the 2011 season to still be “selected” into the NFL by way of a draft.
For the “draft”, teams bid on players using draft picks. The team that bids the highest pick for a player “drafts” the player, and forfiets that round selection in the following year draft (tiebreakers are determined by previous year draft order).
In past years we’ve seen players like Paul Oliver, possible starting safety for the Chargers, and Jared Gaither, starting left tackle for the Ravens, get selected in this private draft and make huge impacts.
1. No ESPN Coverage
However, with the usual type of players the supplemental draft features (character issues, off-the-field issues, academic issues, etc.), don’t look for ESPN or any major networks, outside of possibly NFL Network, making a big deal of the supplemental draft.
Maybe a day or two afterwards, Sportscenter may have a quick blurb on it or feature it in the NFL section of the bottom scroller, but if you’re hoping for a last gasp of draft coverage, you’ll be mistaken.
2. Harvey Unga of BYU will be Picked After 4th Round
Anthony Dixon and Jonathan Dwyer both were taken after the 4th round in the 2010 NFL draft.
What do they have to do with Unga? Well, maybe alot. Harvey Unga, likely the feature player in the supplemental draft, is a power back at 6’0, 232, and has been as productive if not more than both of these players. But when it comes to drafting for the future, all three of these players are power backs at the next level in the NFL’s rotational back system.
While Toby Gerhart, considered another power back, went much earlier, Unga isn’t of that quality. Unga could hear his name “called” in the 5th round at best, and I wouldn’t rule out the 7th round or going “undrafted”.
3. Unga Will Be First in a While to be a “High Character Guy”
However, Harvey Unga withdrew from the campus for violating BYU’s very strict “Honor Code”. And while at most schools, the Honor Code is a DUI or assault, at BYU it could be anything from inappropriate contact with a female to possessing any alcohol.
From everything I have gathered from people close to Unga, he is not the run of the mill college kick-out who has a laundry list of issues. Unga may be the first guy in the supplemental draft in a while who team’s may want to reach for because he has a strong work ethic and a high character.
4. Miami, Kansas City, and Seattle Will Fight for Unga
As of now, it seems as though three teams in particular are battling for the rights to Unga. While it’s still undetermined to what lengths (highest bid) these teams are contemplating, it’s clear that they all likely have an idea what the other is thinking and will try to outmatch the other.
Miami has had the strongest ties to Unga throughout this process, and Unga does fit the mold of a versatile, hard working, high character player that Bill Parcells loves. Plus, with Ronnie Brown being injury prone and thought-of on the block, as well as Ricky Williams no long term guarantee, Unga makes sense.
Kansas City doesn’t have a power back, and we’ve seen in previous seasons that Jamal Charles and Thomas Jones are not power backs. Jackie Battle is currently filling that role, but Unga could be a better long term option. And finally Seattle, who recently released LenDale White and still have a very unsteady running back system. Unga could throw things for a bit of a loop for the future, but with Pete Carroll really looking to add his own players, Unga could be Carroll’s chance to add some new talent.
5. Emokpe and Price-Brent Will Be Coveted Late Round Picks or Free Agents
Emokpe played all over the field in college, and has lined-up at receiver, running back, quarterback, and in a variety of sets at gadget positions. He’s a physical back with versatility and could be an NFL H-back.
Price-Brent was a former highly touted recruit, but was ruled ineligible for the 2010 draft due to academic issues. At 6-2, 330, he has potential as an NFL nose tackle, but with the academic concerns as well as a DUI in his past, team’s will be cautious.
6. Jeremiah Masoli, if he Declares, Will be Signed as a Safety
But you pair Masoli’s toughness, power, smarts from being a quarterback, and overall athletic ability, and you could have a very talented situational safety.
He may not like the transition, but if he has any chance of sticking with an NFL team in the future, even though he has a rap sheet the size of himself, he’ll have to be willing to make a chance.
7. Players Taken in Draft won’t have a 2010 Impact
Only Unga has NFL future starting ability it seems, and with most teams set at running back with at least two backs, team’s will likely be more willing to use Unga on special teams and as a rarely used rotational guy early on.
The two best supplemental draft picks of the past 5 years, Paul Oliver and Jared Gaither, both made limited impacts on their rookie season’s, and only started to gain significant playing time towards the end of the season.I’ve said this for a few years now. Just by looking at Masoli’s size and play, it was obvious he wouldn’t be an NFL quarterback. And at 5’8 with only average speed for a running back and receiver, it was unlikely he’d stick on the offensive side of the ball.The two other possible “drafted” players in the supplemental draft are Vanness Emokpe of Truman State and Josh Price-Brent of Illinois.Like previously mentioned, supplemental draft entries are usually guys who were refused by their teams for the next season because of some overriding issue.Obviously the 2010 NFL Draft was covered from mid-January up until and all day on April 24th.
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