One of the more unheralded events on the NFL calendar each year is the supplemental draft, which gives prospects who may not have declared for the actual NFL draft the opportunity to be selected by one of the league's 32 teams.
The list of players who enter the supplemental draft is always small, and usually includes prospects who have become ineligible to play in college, but too late to declare for the draft back in April. It can often be players who were removed from their college teams due to off-field incidents, or players who were waiting for eligibility rulings from the NCAA that didn't end up going their way.
Since the supplemental draft started in 1977, only 46 players have ever been selected.
That number will be zero this year, though, as the NFL won't be holding a supplemental draft in 2024.
While there might be some folks out there who are disappointed by this news, one group who won't be shedding any tears is the long list of area scouts for NFL teams, as Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy pointed out Wednesday:
Area scouts for NFL teams perform work that is integral to the team’s success, but it requires being on the road for most of the year, living out of hotels and suitcases without much time spent with family. They compile hundreds of detailed reports on players throughout their region, building the foundation for the team’s annual preparations for the draft.
Those folks getting to spend their summer at more family barbecues, dance recitals and date nights instead of making phone calls and following up leads on prospects that aren't likely to fetch a supplemental draft pick anyway is a big win indeed.
Regardless of why the league chose not to hold one this year, the absence of the supplemental draft isn't likely to move the needle for most people, but it'll be a net positive for many of the hardest-working people in the league.
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