According to ESPN, the NFL supplemental draft is an alternate summer draft first held in 1977 that gives teams a way to acquire college players who missed the regular spring draft filing deadline. Most players who enter the supplemental draft have lost collegiate eligibility, often for academic or disciplinary reasons.
The supplemental draft order differs from the regular spring draft and is divided into three groups: teams with six or fewer wins the previous season, the remaining non‑playoff clubs, and the 14 playoff teams. The order within each group is determined by random selection, according to ESPN.
Teams submit bids in the form of future draft picks for players they want. The club that offers the highest pick for a prospect is awarded the player and then forfeits the corresponding pick in the next spring draft. The supplemental draft runs seven rounds, per ESPN.
The league holds a supplemental draft only when approved prospects are available. It was last held in 2023, when two players — Jackson State’s Malachi Wideman and Purdue’s Milton Wright — were declared eligible but went unselected. No player has been taken in the supplemental draft since 2019, when the Arizona Cardinals used a pick on defensive back Jalen Thompson, according to ESPN.
Over the decades the supplemental draft has produced notable NFL players, including quarterbacks Bernie Kosar (1985) and Dave Brown (1992), wide receiver Cris Carter (1987), receiver Josh Gordon (2012), and quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2011). For ongoing coverage and analysis, see ESPN’s NFL hub.
