When Is The Nfl Supplemental Draft?

Learn about the NFL Supplemental Draft and find out when it is taking place this year.

Introduction

The NFL supplemental draft is an annual event that gives eligible players who were not drafted in the regular NFL draft an opportunity to be signed by an NFL team. The supplemental draft is usually held in July, after the regular NFL draft has been completed.

What is the NFL Supplemental Draft?

The NFL Supplemental Draft is a process that allows eligible players who were not selected in the NFL Draft to be drafted by an NFL team. These players typically enter the draft because they did not declare for the regular draft, or because they were ineligible for the regular draft. The supplemental draft is held annually, typically in July.

The format of the supplemental draft is different from the regular NFL draft in a few key ways. First, there is no set order in which teams make their selections. Instead, teams submit bids to the league office for the pick they would like to make. The team with the highest bid gets to make the selection, and they forfeit the corresponding pick in the next year’s regular NFL draft.

Another difference is that all supplemental draft picks are made at once, rather than over seven rounds like in the regular NFL draft. Finally, while most rookies drafted in April sign four-year contracts, rookies drafted in the supplemental draft only sign three-year contracts.

Some notable players who have been drafted in the supplemental draft include wide receiver Cris Carter, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1987; running back James Wilder, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1984; and quarterback Bernie Kosar, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1985.

When is the NFL Supplemental Draft?

The NFL Supplemental Draft is held every year in July, after the NFL’s regular draft has been completed. The supplemental draft is for players who were not eligible for the regular draft, usually because they did not graduate from college or because they had been declared academically ineligible by the NCAA.

Players who are eligible for the supplemental draft declare themselves eligible by sending a letter to the NFL Commissioner’s office. Once all eligible players have declared themselves, a date is set for the supplemental draft.

The NFL Supplemental Draft is conducted as a “serpentine” draft, meaning that the order of selection reverses each round. So, if there are seven rounds in the supplemental draft, the team that picks last in each round will pick first in the next round. The team with the worst record from the previous season picks first, and the Super Bowl winner picks last.

Who is Eligible for the NFL Supplemental Draft?

Players who did not declare for the regular NFL draft may be eligible for the supplemental draft. These players may be facing unusual circumstances, such as disciplinary issues at their college or they may have missed the NFL’s deadline for declaring for the regular draft.

Players become eligible for the supplemental draft by petitioning the NFL. Once a player is deemed eligible, he is placed into a special supplemental draft pool. There are usually only a handful of players in each year’s pool.

The supplemental draft is conducted using a “ bidding” system, in which teams submit secret bids on the player they want to select. The team with the highest bid gets the player, but they lose their pick in the next year’s regular NFL draft. So, for example, if a team wants to select a player in the first round of the supplemental draft, they would have to forfeit their first-round pick in next year’s regular NFL draft.

What Happens If You’re Drafted in the NFL Supplemental Draft?

If you’re drafted in the NFL Supplemental Draft, you’ll be treated just like any other player who was drafted in the regular NFL Draft. That means you’ll be able to negotiate your rookie contract and sign with the team that drafted you.

The downside is that, because you weren’t eligible for the regular NFL Draft, you won’t have been through the pre-draft process. That means you won’t have had a chance to visit with teams and get feedback on where they think you should be drafted. As a result, it’s harder to predict what kind of contract you’ll be able to negotiate.

Additionally, because you weren’t eligible for the regular draft, your rights will expire a year earlier than other players. That means that if you don’t make an active roster or practice squad within that first year, your rights will revert back to the team that drafted you and you’ll become a free agent.

Conclusion

The NFL Supplemental Draft is held every year in July. It is a chance for eligible players who did not declare for the regular NFL Draft to be selected by teams. These players usually have some kind of issue that prevented them from declaring for the regular draft, such as being suspended from their college team.