3 DBs expected to apply for supplemental draft

NFL teams in search of young defensive backs will get one last opportunity to add to their roster with three prospects -- Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant, Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal and Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander -- each expected to petition the league for admittance into this summer's supplemental draft. Bryant and Beal's plans were first reported on Wednesday by Tom Pellisero of NFL.com. Through several league sources, NFLDraftScout.com has since confirmed the players eligible for the annual "second chance draft" and learned that this year's event will take place on Wednesday, July 11. The supplemental draft is very different from the media bonanza that occurs each spring. It is carried out via e-mail among teams and is not televised. The selection order is different as well. The teams are slotted into three groups based on their won/loss percentage the previous year and are then placed in a lottery with the official order not being released to the public. Teams interested in selecting a player contact the league via email with a list of the prospects they would draft and the round in which they would take them. If there are no takers, the draft can begin and end in a few minutes. The supplemental draft was originally created for players who had lost their eligibility between the primary NFL Draft in April and the beginning of the next season. Typically, they are players who ran afoul of the law or failed to keep up with their academic obligations. That appears to the case with the 5-foot-11, 215 pound Bryant, NFLDraftScout.com's No. 4-rated free safety, who is set to leave the Bulldogs early with gaudy production (157 career tackles and five interceptions) and a reputation as a workout warrior but with poor grades in the classroom. Bryant was not allowed to participate in Mississippi State's spring practices and he announced in April that he would be leaving the team. Beal (6-0, 185) earned Second Team All-MAC honors last season, leading the Broncos with 10 passes broken up. He was overshadowed, at times, by former teammate Darius Phillips (a fifth round pick by Cincinnati this spring) but Beal offers an intriguing upside due to his combination of size, speed and physicality. Though his numbers dropped significantly (from 55 in 2016 to only 22 last season), Beal's willingness to tackle was the primary reason why the former prep receiver was asked to make the transition to the defensive side of the ball early his career at Kalamazoo. Beal was set to enter his senior season as NFLDraftScout.com's No. 30 cornerback. If teams are comfortable with the off-field issues that plagued Alexander at Virginia Tech, he could wind up being the player that generates the most interest. Last week, Virginia Tech officially announced that Alexander, a senior, was no longer part of the team because he failed to live up to his academic obligations. He missed three previous games with the Hokies due to suspensions, including one for testing positive for marijuana. While teams will want to investigate Alexander's character, his talent and production speak for themselves. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Alexander started seven times at rover as a true freshman, registering 55 tackles and four interceptions over a total of 11 games. His production slipped the next two seasons but Alexander showed off his intriguing athleticism, converting to cornerback and starting seven of the next 22 games. During that time Alexander recorded a total of 71 tackles, including four for loss as well as 11 passes broken up and three more interceptions. Like Bryant, Alexander is expected to turn heads during workouts. Besides his unusual length (at least among cornerbacks), Alexander offers intriguing raw explosiveness, as indicated by an eye-popping 41" vertical jump he registered during preseason testing with the Hokies three years ago. All three players are expected to hold private Pro Day workouts with interested teams prior to the non-televised supplemental draft next month. At least at this early juncture it appears that the 2018 supplemental draft may have teams more interested than in recent years. Rich classes in the supplemental draft are rare. A total of 45 players have been selected since the draft's inception in 1977. Among the most notable supplemental selections were quarterback Bernie Kosar (Cleveland, 1985), wide receiver Cris Carter (Philadelphia, 1987), linebacker Brian Bosworth (Seattle, 1987) quarterback-turned wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (Oakland, 2011) and wide receiver Josh Gordon (Cleveland, 2012). No players were selected the last two summers with only one, offensive tackle Isaiah Battle (Rams), going in 2015. The last time that more than one player was selected in the supplemental draft was 2010 when the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys invested seventh round picks in former BYU running back Harvey Unga and Illinois defensive tackle Josh Brent, respectively. More than two players being selected in the supplemental draft has occurred only twice -- in 1989 and 1987 -- when a total of eight players were picked, including four (quarterbacks Steve Walsh and Timm Rosenbach, running back Bobby Humphrey and Bosworth) with first round tenders. Players not selected are considered street free agents and can be signed by clubs following the draft.