By Dave-Te' Thomas, NFLDraftScout.com
July 5, 2007 -

1977 - 1978 - 1979 - 1980
1981 - 1982 - 1983 - 1984 - 1985 - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - 1989
1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999
2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006


In July, the National Football League will again conduct its annual supplemental draft. Unlike the regular phase of the draft, where every team selects from a crop of hundreds of eligible players, only a handful of names will appear in the supplemental draft.


When the supplemental draft was first instituted in 1977, team names were pulled from a hat to determine the draft order. Teams were not required to make a selection, but if they did, they would forfeit a pick in that round in the subsequent phase of the regular draft. In the later years, the league changed that format. Now, instead of teams having their draft selection based on the pull from the hat, the NFL uses the previous year's draft order.


Since its inception, 35 players have been selected in the supplemental draft, but few of those athletes went on to make an impact in the pros. In the earlier years of this draft, teams seemed more than willing to forfeit a first round draft pick the following year, hoping to get an instant return for that investment.

Five quarterbacks, one receiver, one running back and one linebacker have had the honor of being chosen in the first round. Some of the more recognizable names have been Dave Wilson (New Orleans), Bernie Kosar (Cleveland), Steve Walsh (Dallas), Timm Rosenbach (Phoenix/Arizona), Dave Brown (New York Giants), Rob Moore (New York Jets), Bobby Humphrey (Denver) and Brian Bosworth (Seattle), all taken in the first round. Kosar and Moore went on to have very productive careers, but the others were found less than wanting and never made the impact their respective teams hoped. In the draft's later rounds, future stars like Cris Carter (Philadelphia, fourth round) and Mike Wahle (Green Bay, second round) proved to be major finds.


With Southern California defensive tackle Manuel Wright declaring himself a participant in the 2005 supplemental draft, some teams are scrambling to evaluate Wright, but have found that difficult due to a less than spectacular career with the Trojans. Other teams are simply passing on Wright, despite his spectacular credentials during his high school days.


The supplemental draft has been littered with those players with lots of promise, but little production. Many teams found that this lack of performance at the collegiate level soon carried over to their time in the NFL. What might concern some teams, in addition to a lack of production, are the reasons behind that player's defection from the NCAA. Most had either failed academically, losing their eligibility or had been booted out of their school for off-field issues.


In Wright's case, he was a consensus All-American at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. As a 285-pound prep senior, he recorded 142 tackles (60 solos), including 16 sacks, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, 20 pass deflections and an interception. As a junior in 2000, he made Cal-Hi Sports All-State, All-CIF Division I and Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team while recording 95 tackles (57 solos), with 25 sacks.


He failed to qualify academically in 2002 after enrolling at USC and was forced to attend Long Beach City College. By the time he reported to the Trojans' preseason camp in 2003, he had ballooned up to 365 pounds. Limited to nine games that season, he managed only eight tackles, a sack and two stops for losses. In 2004, he was expected to play a major role on USC's front wall, but would only register 23 tackles with two sacks.


Wright was again ruled academically ineligible for the 2005 season, as he was failing most of his courses. Rather than crack the books to regain his eligibility, he decided to take the "easy" way out and enter the supplemental draft. Will he find success where others have failed? Well, based on some comments made at his press conference announcing his decision, one has to wonder where his work ethic lies.


"Manuel plans to train in Denver at a facility run by his new agents. He has qualified for a line of credit ($50,000) and will also be receiving a new range rover later this week," explained a family acquaintance in attendance at the press conference. Wright himself later confirmed these details to a person covering the event.


"He (Manuel) would have needed to pass 14 out of the 18 credits he was taking this spring in order to become academically qualified for the start of fall drills. As of recent days he would have not received a passing graded in three of those classes, covering nine credits, which is when Manuel and our family decided to look in the direction of the Supplemental Draft," explained his father, Terence Wright in a conversation earlier this week. "He's just a kid that did not always push himself in the classroom, but he loves to play football. Heck, he (Manny) would have declared out of high school."


After hearing those comments, it makes you wonder if even Maurice Clarett had a better "game plan." Maybe the Wright family should have researched what happened to others with dreams of "sugar plums and fairies" that soon found that there was no "pot of gold" at the end of the rainbow.



THE HISTORY OF THE SUPPLENTAL DRAFT AND ITS EVENTUAL IMPACT



1977 Supplemental Draft
It all began with Notre Dame running back Al Hunter. Having lost his eligibility, he applied for the first supplemental draft in the summer of 1977 and was selected in the fourth round by the Seattle Seahawks. Hunter went on to play in 52 games for the Seahawks from 1977-80. He gained 715 yards on 180 carries (4.0 avg) with four touchdowns, caught 27 passes for 531 yards and averaged 22.0 yards on 78 kickoff returns.

The Impact
While Hunter provided some production for the Seahawks, by forfeiting their fourth round pick in the following draft (1978), they were not able to pick from players like receivers Mike Renfro (Houston-fourth round), Alfred Jackson (seventh-Atlanta) and Derrick Gaffney (eighth-Jets), fullback Mosi Tatupu (eighth-New England), defensive end Doug Betters (sixth-Miami), defensive back Dennis Thurman (11th-Dallas) or kicker Jim Breech (eighth-Detroit, who later went on to star for Cincinnati), all who had much better careers than Hunter.



1978 Supplemental Draft
The Houston Oilers selected receiver Johnnie Dirdin from Sam Houston State in the tenth round and San Francisco chose Southern California running back Rod Connors in the twelfth. Dirdin went on to play for the Oilers in 1978, for Kansas City in 1979 and Pittsburgh in 1981. In 26 games, he returned 26 kickoffs for a 23.3-yard average. Connors never saw a game of action in the NFL.

The Impact
The Oilers forfeited pick #273 in the 1979 draft for the rights to Dirdin. One notable tenth rounder taken after that pick was linebacker Monte Coleman (Washington), who became an integral part of Joe Gibbs' Super Bowl teams in the 1980s. With pick #302, the 49ers could have chosen from receiver Drew Hill (#328-Rams), defensive tackle Dave Logan (#307-Tampa Bay) or linebacker Ed Smith (#322-Pittsburgh).



1979 Supplemental Draft
Teams still seemed reluctant to choose players in the supplemental draft, but Buffalo would use their sixth rounder to take Kentucky running back Rod Stewart, but Stewart never got to play a down in the NFL.

The Impact
If Buffalo did not forfeit the sixth round pick (#146) in the 1980 draft, they could have chosen from a list that included such players like backup quarterbacks Turk Schonert (#242-Chicago) or David Woodley (#214-Miami), offensive linemen Keith Bishop (#157-Denver), Guy Bingham (#260-Jets) or Tunch Ilkin (#165-Pittsburgh), tight end Joe Rose (#185-Miami), linebackers Al Richardson (#201-Atlanta) or Ron Simpkins (#167-Cincinnati), receiver Calvin Muhammad (#322-Oakland) or standout place kicker Eddie Murray (#166-Detroit).



1980 Supplemental Draft
Atlanta chose Prairie View A&M defensive end Matt Teague in the seventh round (#192) and San Diego selected Southern California receiver Billy Mullins in the ninth round (#240). Teague sat out the 1980 season and saw limited action in eleven games with the Falcons in 1981 before heading home. Mullins never got to play in an NFL game.

The Impact
With the 192nd pick in the 1981 draft, Atlanta would have been better off with present Tennessee Titans head coach, safety Jeff Fisher (#177-Chicago), quarterback Wade Wilson (#210-Minnesota), New York Giants Super Bowl stars - guard Billy Ard (#221) or linebacker Byron Hunt (#224), linebacker David Little (#183-Pittsburgh) or present Seattle Seahawks running back coach -tailback Stump Mitchell (#226-Cardinals).

The Chargers used pick #240 on Mullins, as Bum Phillips favorite - running back Hokie Gajan (#249-New Orleans), defensive back Robert Jackson (#285-Cincinnati), defensive end Dean Prater (#271-Cleveland), quarterback Bob Gagliano (#319-Kansas City), mult-purpose back Jim Jensen (#291-Miami) and fullback Frank Hawkins (#276-Oakland) were still on the draft board.



1981 Supplemental Draft
Two players were taken that year, with New Orleans forfeiting a 1982 first round pick to take Illinois quarterback Dave Wilson. New England would use an eleventh round choice to select Rhode Island receiver Chy Davidson. Wilson played in 53 games for the Saints from 1981-88. He completed 551 of 1039 passes (53.0%) for 6,987 yards, 36 touchdowns and 55 interceptions while fumbling the ball 25 times.

Davidson did not play until 1984, spending two seasons with the Jets, where he appeared in four games. His NFL statistics show only one kickoff return for 9 yards.

The Impact
Wilson was never able to lead the "Aints" out of their dark days. If they had kept that selection (#3), they could have had their choice of quarterback Jim McMahon (#5-Chicago), running back Marcus Allen (#10-Oakland), offensive guard Mike Munchak (#8-Houston) or receiver Mike Quick (#20-Philadelphia). With the third pick in the draft, Cleveland chose linebacker Chip Banks.

The only player of note that was taken after New England's pick #282, was defensive end Sam Clancy (#284-Pittsburgh).



1982 Supplemental Draft
The only player chosen was North Carolina A&T defensive back Kevin Robinson (#237) in the ninth round. Robinson never played in the league.

The Impact
By forfeiting the ninth round pick in the 1983 draft, they saw other teams go on to choose such stars like place kicker Ali Haji-Sheikh (#237-Giants), defensive tackle Tim Krumrie (#276-Cincinnati), All-Pro center Jesse Sapulu (#289-San Francisco) the leader of the Orange Crush, linebacker Karl Mecklenburg (#310-Denver).



1983 Supplemental Draft
All teams passed on selecting a player in this draft.



1984 Supplemental Draft
All teams passed on selecting a player in this draft.



1985 Supplemental Draft
One of the best players to ever enter the supplemental draft, Miami standout quarterback Bernie Kosar was soon the starter for the Cleveland Browns, who forfeited their 1986 first round pick to take this talented passer. Kosar would play for the Browns from 1985-93. He also played for Dallas the second half of the 1993 campaign before spending the 1994-96 seasons with Miami. In 126 games, Bernie threw for 23,301 yards on 1994 of 3365 attempts (59.3%) with 124 touchdowns and 87 interceptions.

San Francisco would use their twelfth round choice to take Florida State running back Roosevelt Snipes, but Snipes would never play in the league.

The Impact
The choice in the 1986 draft that Cleveland gave up to take Kosar was the sixteenth selection. Many teams felt that if Kosar was in the 1986 draft, he would have possibly been taken with the second overall pick by Atlanta. Instead, the Falcons chose defensive tackle Tony Casillas. Buffalo, with the sixteenth pick took oft-injured Iowa tailback Ronnie Harmon. Just imagine where Detroit would have been if they had taken Kosar in the supplemental rather than waste the twelfth selection on Iowa QB Chuck Long.

In the ninth round, San Francisco forfeited the chance to take either of Philadelphia's defensive line choices - ends Clyde Simmons (#233) or Reggie Singletary (#315), or safety Mike Zordich (#235-San Diego), return specialist Vai Sikahema (#254-Cardinals) or linebacker Gary Spann (#263-Green Bay).



1986 Supplemental Draft
The Rams had traded the rights to their 1988 seventh round pick (#185) to Philadelphia, who used that choice in this draft to select Oklahoma running back Charles Crawford. Crawford played from 1986-87 for the Eagles. He appeared in 18 games, gaining 88 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries (3.1 avg) and averaged 18.4 yards on 27 kickoff returns.

The Impact
The 1987 draft was loaded with late round finds. The Eagles, if they kept that seventh round pick, could have chosen from offensive linemen Harry Swayne (#190-Tampa Bay), Kevin Gogan (#206-Dallas), John Gesek (#265-Oakland), Brett Favre's favorite blocker, center Frank Winters (#276-Cleveland) or Howard Ballard (#283-Buffalo).

Other notable standouts still on the draft board were linebacker Dennis Gibson (#203-Detroit), tight end Keith McKeller (#227-Buffalo), quarterback Don Majkowski (#255-Green Bay), halfback Merril Hoge (#261-Pittsburgh) or All-Pro safety Tyrone Braxton (#334-Denver).



1987 Supplemental Draft
This draft produced a future Hall of Famer in receiver Cris Carter, as Philadelphia used a fourth round choice to take the Ohio State receiver. Carter played for the Eagles from 1987-89, then, he was traded to Minnesota, where he competed from 1990-2001 before ending his career in 2002 with Miami. In 234 games, Carter caught 1,101 passes for 13,899 yards (12.6 avg) and 130 touchdowns.

The "name" player in this draft was Oklahoma bad boy linebacker Brian Bosworth, who was taken in the first round by Seattle. He played with the Seahawks from 1987-89, but shoulder woes would cut short his career. He produced four sacks in 24 games.

Tampa Bay used a third rounder to take Miami defensive tackle Dan Sileo, who saw limited action in ten games in 1987 before he was out of the league.

The Impact
The Eagles could not have found a better value pick than in Carter, but most of his production would come later in his career with the Vikings. With pick #95, the Cardinals would move up to take defensive back Michael Brim. The only other receivers to be taken in the fourth round of the 1988 draft were J.R. Ambrose (#96-Kansas City) and Sammy Martin (#97-New England). Combined, their career totals could not match even one of Carter's better seasons.

Seattle's pick turned out to be the 23rd in the first round. The Bears moved into that slot and chose tailback Brad Muster. Bosworth was not the only bust in that round, as Denver took defensive tackle Ted Gregory at #26 and Atlanta grabbed linebacker Marcus Cotton at #28. Imagine what Seattle's defense would have looked like if they did not select Bosworth and found future Hall of Famer, linebacker Chris Spielman (#29-Detroit) there for the taking.

In the third round (#59), Tampa Bay would have been better off with other third rounders like safeties Kevin Porter (#59-Kansas City) or James Hasty (#74-Jets), quarterback Chris Chandler (#76-Colts) or linebacker Bill Romanowski (#80-San Francisco).



1988 Supplemental Draft
The only player selected was South Carolina receiver Ryan Bethea in the fifth round by Minnesota. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Bethea never played in the NFL.

The Impact
By forfeiting pick #136 in the 1989 draft, Minnesota saw other teams choose future starters in quarterback Rodney Peete (#141-Detroit), place kicker Chris Jacke (#142-Green Bay), punter Chris Mohr (#146-Tampa Bay before starring at Atlanta) and tight end Howard Cross (#158-Giants). Another standout that they bypassed on was All-Pro offensive guard Mark Schlereth (#263-Washington), who would go on to star at Denver.



1989 Supplemental Draft
Like sharks on a feeding frenzy, teams were more than willing to mortgage the future during the '89 supplemental draft. Dallas would spend what turned out to be the first pick in the 1990 draft to select Miami quarterback Steve Walsh. Walsh would soon lose out to future Hall of Famer Troy Aikman at the Cowboys' helm. Walsh played for the Cowboys from 1989-90. He was then traded to New Orleans (1990-93) before stops with Chicago (1994-95), Saint Louis (1996-97), Tampa Bay (1998) and finished his career with the Colts in 1999. In 81 games, he hit on 713 of 1317 passes (54.1%) for 7,875 yards, 40 touchdowns and 50 interceptions.

The Cardinals would spend the sixth pick in the 1990 draft to take Washington State QB Timm Rosenbach. Rosenbach showed tremendous promise earlier in his career, but after several injuries, he decided the rodeo circuit was a "safer" place of employment. He played for Phoenix from 1989-92, missing the 1991 campaign. In 26 games, he totaled 3,676 yards with 16 touchdowns and 24 interceptions on 295 of 551 passes (53.5%).

Denver would also use a first round pick to take troubled tailback Bobby Humphrey of Alabama. Humphrey looked like a perennial All-Pro his first two years with the Broncos, but contract demands and off-field issues saw his career self-destruct. He played for Denver from 1989-92 and saw action in four games with Miami in 1992. In 51 games, he carried 695 times for 2,857 yards (4.1 avg) and 15 touchdowns. He also caught 100 passes for 815 yards and a pair of scores.

Buffalo would use and eighth round pick to take Oregon defensive back Brett Young and Dallas chose Coffeyville Community College running back Mike Loman with a twelfth round pick, but neither would play in the NFL.

The Impact
Walsh, Rosenbach and Humphrey never really had the careers their respective teams were hoping for. But, the 1990 regular draft was loaded with first round busts. New York Jets fans still boil at the mention of running back Blair Thomas' name (#2). Green Bay did not fare much better with halfback Darrell Thompson at #19 and Atlanta did not get the value they expected from halfback Steve Broussard at #20. The Colts used the first pick in the draft to take Jeff George, while the Lions took QB flop Andre Ware at #7.

Still, there were some first round gems these three teams could have had, like defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy (#3-Seattle), linebacker Junior Seau (#5-San Diego), offensive tackle Richmond Webb (#9-Miami), tailback Emmitt Smith (#17-Dallas), who compensated for the mistake in taking Walsh, and tight end Eric Green (#21-Pittsburgh).

Some second round stars that Denver could have taken at the end of the first instead of using the #27 pick on Humphrey were center Tim Grunhard (#40-Kansas City), safety LeRoy Butler (#48-Green Bay) and cornerback Eric Davis (#53-San Francisco).

By using pick #199 in the eighth round on Brett Young, Buffalo would have been better served waiting another year. They would have found offensive guard Roman Fortin (#203-Detroit) more to their liking. At least they recouped later in the eighth round, selecting linebacker Marvcus Patton with pick # 208.

Dallas gave up the first pick in round twelve (#305) to take Mike Loman, who never played a down for them. Some twelfth rounders that did make it in the league were safety Bobby Harden (#315-Miami), offensive guard Chris Port (#320-New Orleans) and place kicker Matt Stover (#329-Giants), who would go on to All Pro fame later in his career with Baltimore.



1990 Supplemental Draft
The Jets were more than willing to spend their 1991 first round pick to get an extra year out of local product, wide receiver Rob Moore of Syracuse. Moore had a great career until injuries set in. He played for the Jets from 1990-94 and then competed for Phoenix/Arizona from 1995-99. In 153 games, he hauled in 628 passes for 9,368 yards (14.9 avg) and 49 touchdowns.

The Cardinals were the only other team to draft a player in the supplemental draft, taking tight end Willie Williams with what turned out to be pick #229 in the ninth round. Williams did not see action in 1990 and then played in 16 games for Phoenix in 1991, catching a 3-yard scoring pass. He was out of the league for the next two years, returning for 16 games with New Orleans in 1994 as a tight end/offensive tackle, catching on pass for 7 yards to conclude a 32-game NFL career.

The Impact
The first rounder the Jets used on Moore would have been the seventh pick in the draft. With Tampa Bay now in the seventh slot, they chose Tennessee flop, offensive tackle Charles McCrae. Four receivers were taken in the first round of the 1991 draft, with Detroit scooping up Herman Moore at pick #10, Dallas following with Alvin Harper at #12, Atlanta taking college running back Mike Pritchard at #13, where he failed to make much of an impact at receiver and Miami selected local Miami University product Randal Hill at #23.

By forfeiting their ninth round choice, Arizona saw two teams have success with finds in that round. The Colts were fortunate to find Illinois fullback Howard Griffith with pick #236 and he would later go on to star for Denver. Houston picked out a nice plum with #240 in receiver Shawn Jefferson, who would later star for Atlanta.



1991 Supplemental Draft
All teams passed on selecting a player in this draft.



1992 Supplemental Draft
Many a Giant fan suffered in angst when the New York team used a first round pick to take a quarterback they hoped would replace Phil Simms in Duke product Dave Brown. Brown never really fit in with the team, sticking around at the Meadowlands from 1992-97 before joining the Cardinals from 1998-2001. Brown appeared in 74 NFL games. He connected on 892 of 1634 tosses (54.6%) for 10,248 yards and 44 touchdowns, adding seven scores and a 3.5-yard average on 192 carries. But, he threw 58 interceptions and fumbled the ball 37 times.

Kansas City used a second round choice on defensive end Darren Mickell of Florida, but injuries and a less than spectacular desire to play the game saw Mickell bounce around from Kansas City (1992-95) to New Orleans (1996-99) before heading off to San Diego in 2000 and finishing his career with Oakland in 2001. In 89 games, Darren totaled 26 sacks.

The Impact
After selecting Brown with what turned out to be the ninth choice in the 1993 draft, no other team would again forfeit a first round draft pick in the supplemental draft. Brown was a blue-collar worker with adequate results. Atlanta moved up to the #9 slot and chose offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy, who would later star for the Raiders. The first two picks in the draft were also quarterbacks, as New England selected Drew Bledsoe first, followed by Seattle with Notre Dame's Rick Mirer.

Giants fans must be wondering what their backfield would have looked like if New York kept that pick, only to find tailback Jerome Bettis taken at #10 by St. Louis. Denver then followed with Pro Bowl defensive end Dan Williams at #11 and Houston chose offensive tackle Brad Hopkins at #13. Minnesota got stellar performances at tailback during Robert Smith's (#21) short career and San Francisco found the missing ingredient to their last Super Bowl run with defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield around at #26.

Kansas City gave up the #47 pick, as that second round slot was then filled by Houston with linebacker Michael Barrow. Dallas chose Barrow's college teammate, linebacker Darrin Smith of Miami at #54 and Buffalo found defensive tackle John Parrella to their liking with the #55 selection.



1993 Supplemental Draft
All teams passed on selecting a player in this draft.



1994 Supplemental Draft
Only two players were chosen in the 1994 supplemental draft. The Giants gave up what turned out to be pick #118 in round four to grab Northeast Louisiana defensive back Tito Wooten. The hard-hitting tackler had an up-&-down career with the Giants from 1994-99 before finishing his career with the Colts in 1999. In 83 games, he gained 219 yards on seven interceptions, recovered two fumbles and deflected 20 passes.

Dallas used a fifth rounder (#163) to take Emporia State tight end John Davis. Davis never played for Dallas and it was not until the 1997 season before he got on an NFL field. From 1996-99, he was with Tampa Bay, moving on to Minnesota in 2000 and spent the 2001-02 seasons with Chicago. In 81 games, he made 55 catches for 517 yards (9.4 avg) and six touchdowns.

The Impact
Oakland moved into the fourth round's #118 spot, where they took linebacker Mike Morton. Two other notable fourth rounders were defensive tackle Oliver Gibson (#120-Pittsburgh) and tight end Pete Mitchell (#122-Miami).

The Cowboys might have been better served keeping their fifth round pick. They did get some value at their other fifth round slot, taking Illinois linebacker Dana Howard at #168. Green Bay chose special teams standout, tailback Travis Jervey at #170. Atlanta got years of service out of defensive tackle Travis Hall (#181), while Detroit found a great lead blocker and third down running back with Cory Schlesinger at #192. But, the steal of the draft in the later rounds came when Denver took Pro Bowl running back Terrell Davis with pick #196.



1995 Supplemental Draft
Throughout the years, Dallas had been very active gambling with supplemental draft picks. But, like most of their other choices, this one would soon be wasted, as they gave up their third round choice in the 1996 draft to take Trinity Valley Community College defensive end Darren Benson. Benson played for Dallas in 1995 and '97, sitting out the 1996 campaign. In limited action during twelve games with the Pokes, Benson had no sacks and ten tackles.

The Impact
The third round pick forfeited by Dallas turned out to be the 74th in the draft. With the 75th pick, Minnesota scooped up third down sensation, tailback Moe Williams. Other third rounders that went on to great NFL careers were linebacker Tedy Bruschi (#86-New England), receiver Terrell Owens (#89-San Francisco) and center Mike Flanagan (#90-Green Bay).



1997 Supplemental Draft
Whether it was the lack of talent available or teams becoming scared of all the recent supplemental draft flops, no organization would select a player this year.



1998 Supplemental Draft
All teams passed on selecting a player in this draft.



1999 Supplemental Draft
After two years of inactivity, the Packers and Chargers returned to this draft to find two important cogs for their team. Green Bay gave up a second round pick to take Navy offensive tackle Mike Wahle, who would start 96 of his 97 games for the Packers before signing with Carolina during the 1995 off-season.

San Diego would also give up a second rounder, taking Oklahoma State defensive tackle Jamal Williams. Williams is still with the team, appearing in 86 games to date. He produced 174 tackles (142 solos) with 9.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and nine pass break-ups.

The Impact
The Bengals took over the #56 slot vacated by Green Bay in the second round, taking defensive tackle Larry Smith. Oakland moved into San Diego's spot (#40), where they chose defensive end Tony Bryant.

This was a draft with quite a few studs taken in the second round, but Green Bay and San Diego were more than happy with their decision to take the players they did a year earlier. Other notable second rounders were cornerback Dre' Bly (#41-Rams), tight end Jimmy Kleinsasser (#44-Minnesota), offensive guard Randy Thomas (#57-Jets), and receiver Peerless Price (#53-Buffalo), who had a fine career with the Bills before opting for the big bucks and flopping the last few years with Atlanta.



2000 Supplemental Draft
Booted out of Arizona State as a bad element, safety J'Juan Cherry was taken in the fourth round by New England. While his older brother, Je'Rod has played the last four of his nine seasons in the league with the Patriots, J'Juan never got to play a down in the NFL.

The Impact
The fourth round choice that New England forfeited in the 2001 draft turned out to be pick #106. Some notable talent taken in the fourth round of that draft were tight end Aaron Shea (#110-Cleveland), linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski (#119-Seattle), defensive tackle Josh Williams (#122-Indianapolis) and linebacker Peter Sirmon (#128-Tennessee).



2001 Supplemental Draft
All teams passed on selecting a player in this draft.



2002 Supplemental Draft
The expansion Houston Texans were looking for immediate help for their offensive line, especially after giving up more than 80 quarterback sacks the previous season. When Florida State's Milford Brown entered the supplemental draft, Houston chose him in the sixth round. Brown sat out the 2002 season and was limited to three games, including two starts in 2003. He was acquired by Arizona during the 2006 offseason.

The Impact
By taking Brown, Houston gave up a sixth-rounder that turned out to be the draft's #177 pick. Five other sixth-rounders have provided better contributions to their respective teams. Seattle found defensive tackle in Rashad Moore at #183. Saint Louis selected offensive guard Scott Tercero (#184). Wide receiver Arnaz Battle (#197) is still with the 49ers. The Giants also found a hard-hitting nickel back in Frank Walker at pick #207.



2003 Supplemental Draft
Houston was at it again, using its second-round pick it got in a trade with Oakland to select Georgia Tech tailback Tony Hollings. Hollings has been hampered by knee problems and signed a two-year deal as a free agent with Chicago in 2006.

The Impact
Houston's second-rounder used for Hollings turned out to be the 33rd pick in the 2004 draft. The 2004 draft was loaded with second-round finds. The Giants found a starting guard in Chris Snee at #34 and San Francisco did likewise at #46 with guard Justin Smiley. Oakland grabbed its center of the future with Jake Grove at #45, and any of the three could start on Houston's suspect offensive line.

San Diego found a gem in defensive tackle Igor Olshansky (#35). Detroit found a contributor in linebacker Teddy Lehman at pick #37, followed by Pittsburgh taking cornerback Ricardo Colclough at #38. Tennessee has a solid tight end with Ben Troupe going at #40. Denver's quick tailback came with the 41st pick in Tatum Bell. Dallas also found its starting halfback at #43 when they chose Notre Dame's Julius Jones. Cincinnati has a playmaker in Maryland safety Madieu Williams with pick #56. Seattle found its starting strong safety when it used their 56th pick to convert linebacker Michael Boulware.




2004 Supplemental Draft
All teams passed on selecting a player in this draft.



2005 Supplemental Draft
The Miami Dolphins exercised a fifth-round pick on Southern California defensive tackle Manuel Wright, forfeiting the #148 pick in the 2006 regular draft. When Wright declared himself a participant in the 2005 supplemental draft, some teams began scrambling to evaluate him, but found that difficult due to a less than spectacular career with the Trojans. Other teams simply passed on evaluating Wright, despite his spectacular credentials during his high school days.

In Wright's case, he was a consensus All-American at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. As a 285-pound prep senior, he recorded 142 tackles (60 solos), including 16 sacks, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, 20 pass deflections and an interception. As a junior in 2000, he made Cal-Hi Sports All-State, All-CIF Division I and Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team while recording 95 tackles (57 solos), with 25 sacks.

He failed to qualify academically in 2002 after enrolling at USC and was forced to attend Long Beach City College. By the time he reported to the Trojans' preseason camp in 2003, he had ballooned up to 365 pounds. Limited to nine games that season, he managed only eight tackles, a sack and two stops for losses. In 2004, he was expected to play a major role on USC's front wall, but would only register 23 tackles with two sacks.

Wright was again ruled academically ineligible for the 2005 season, as he was failing most of his courses. Rather than crack the books to regain his eligibility, he decided to take the easy way out and enter the supplemental draft.


The Impact
Wright showed up at Miami's training camp in poor shape. He was so overcome by the heat and work program, that he literally began crying during practice after being taken to task by the coaching staff. After reporting to camp at over 360 pounds, Wright eventually got his playing weight down to 329. He managed to appear in only three games for the Dolphins in 2005, registering four tackles (2 solos) with a 10-yard sack and a pass break-up.

After showing up to the 2005 offseason program out of shape and getting berated during a practice by coach Nick Saban, Wright finally started to mature. By 2006 he was working at nose tackle as the heir apparent to Keith Traylor.

If the Dolphins had not exercised that selection on Wright (#148, fifth round), they could have chosen from the likes of Georgia cornerback DeMario Minter (#152 to Cleveland), Iowa State inside linebacker Tim Dobbins (#151 to San Diego) or Bowling Green quarterback Omar Jacobs (#164 to Pittsburgh) and passed on trading for Joey Harrington. Many teams also feel that Alabama defensive end Mark Anderson (#159, Chicago) would bring better value than Wright.



2006 Supplemental Draft
The only player taken in the 2006 draft was linebacker Ahmad Brooks by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round. Many teams shied away from the 260-pounder due to his countless off-field issues at Virginia. Ironically, he replaced a player in the Bengals starting lineup (Odell Thurman) whose off-field woes led him to being suspended by league headquarters for the 2006 season.

At the University of Virginia, Brooks earned a starting job at inside linebacker during 2003 fall camp, becoming the first freshman since P.J. Killian in 1990 to lead the team in tackles. He recorded 117 hits (68 solos) with four sacks and ten stops for losses. In 2004, Ahmad joined Ray Savage (1989) as the only first-team All-American linebackers in school history. He again led the team in tackles for the second-straight year, becoming the first Cavalier to do that in his first two college seasons since Charles McDaniel (1982-83). Brooks totaled 90 hits (39 solos) with eight sacks, ten stops behind the line of scrimmage and two interceptions. He also deflected four balls and caused a fumble.

Brooks underwent knee surgery during the off-season that would prevent him from playing in the first three contests of the 2005 campaign. He returned to action as an out-of-shape outside linebacker vs. Maryland, but missed the following game vs. Boston College with an ankle sprain. He returned to inside linebacker, starting his next five contests before a back injury forced him to the sidelines for the final two games. He finished with only 27 tackles (10 solos), a 9-yard sack, five pressures and four pass deflections.

Prior to 2006 spring drills, Brooks was dismissed from the team after failing a drug test. He closed out his Virginia career by starting every game (30) that he played in. Brooks participated in 1,886 plays. He recorded 234 tackles (117 solos) with thirteen sacks for minus 110 yards, 21 stops for losses of 130 yards and 31 quarterback pressures. He caused two fumbles, intercepted a pair of passes and deflected fourteen others.


The Impact
Brooks was out of shape when he reported to the Bengals' 2006 training camp, but has since dropped over 20 pounds to wrest away the starting middle linebacker job for the 2007 season. He appeared in eleven games in 2006, posting 31 tackles (21 solos) with a sack and a pair of pass deflections.

By using their third round pick (#80 overall) on Brooks for the 2007 draft, the team gained a potential starter with Pro Bowl ability. Some notable players taken after the #80 pick in the regular phase of the draft that might have interested Cincinnati were defensive end Charles Johnson-Georgia (Carolina, #83), cornerbacks Jonathan Wade-Tennessee (#84 by St. Louis) and Daymeion Hughes-California (Indianapolis, #95) and offensive guard Marshal Yanda-Iowa (#86, Baltimore).

Another player who applied for the 2006 supplemental draft was Texas fullback Ahmard Hall, a 5:11, 232-pound, 27-year-old former U.S. Marine Sergeant, who signed with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent, but enters the 2007 season as the team's projected starting fullback. Hall was a third-year walk-on who attended Texas on the G.I. Bill before being awarded a scholarship as a senior. He was tabbed the Big Twelve Conference Sportsperson of the Year in 2004-05 and also was the Big Twelve candidate for the NCAA Sportsmanship Award. He played in 24 games for the Longhorns, taking over fullback duties in 2005.

An active member in community service with military veterans , Hall served in numerous missions around the world as a member of the Marines, including missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan, before joining UT as a walk-on in 2003 He quickly climbed to the ranks of Marine Sergeant and is currently on inactive reserve. He appeared in eleven games as a reserve fullback in 2004, scoring on his only rushing attempt while also leading the special team coverage units with ten tackles (8 solos).

Hall started twice at fullback in 2005, managing 10 yards on one carry and 42 yards on three catches with a touchdown. In 24 games at Texas, Hall started two times. He gained 11 yards on two carries with a touchdown, caught three passes for 42 yards (14.0 avg) and a score and recorded ten tackles (8 solos). He also was credited with nine touchdown-resulting blocks.

With Tennessee in 2006, Hall appeared in fourteen games, starting seven contests. He managed just 21 yards on seven carries, but he also grabbed 15 passes for 138 yards (9.2 avg). His stellar blocking helped protect the team's franchise, QB Victor Young, as Hall also registered nine touchdown-resulting blocks for the Titans.



BACK TO TOP