DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Supplemental Draft

Using your analogy, the Browns have enough cap space left today to still buy all new appliances, a couple of new cars, and a vacation home or 2.

This is why it's important to manage the cap well and not sign guys who aren't going to play or who aren't good to veteran contracts. The money not used can roll over.

Will Browns GM John Dorsey’s aggressive approach lead him to make move in supplemental draft?

https://www.ohio.com/akron/sports/browns...plemental-draft


By Nate Ulrich

Beacon Journal/Ohio.com

For the countless Browns fans who refer to the NFL Draft as their favorite team’s Super Bowl, chew on this thought as if it were a Dawg bone.

The supplemental draft, speaking in those terms, should at least be considered the equivalent of a wild-card playoff game.

After all, it brought the Browns a beloved franchise quarterback, Bernie Kosar, in 1985 and one of the most physically gifted players to ever don a Cleveland uniform, wide receiver Josh Gordon, in 2012.

This year’s supplemental draft promises to be special in its own right, simply because multiple players will likely be picked for the first time in eight years.

Five prospects will be available for selection when the supplemental draft begins at 1 p.m. Wednesday: Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal, Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander, Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant, Oregon State linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu and Grand Valley State running back Martayveus Carter.

Beal is widely considered the best in the class, and Browns General Manager John Dorsey stood front and center during his pro day workout June 28 in Kalamazoo, Mich.

“John Dorsey is not afraid to be aggressive,” NFLDraftScout.com analyst Dane Brugler said in a recent phone interview with the Beacon Journal/Ohio.com. “I don’t think he would shy away at all about taking one of these players if he thought it’s going to help the football team, and Beal is the one that really stands out to me as the most appealing and a guy that could entice Dorsey to make a move.”

Brugler said Beal, Alexander and Bryant “have a good shot at getting drafted” while Ugwoegbu and Carter are not expected to garner selections.

Three players haven’t been picked in the same supplemental draft since 1989, when five were chosen. Two haven’t been selected in the same year since 2010. And the last time anyone became a supplemental pick was in 2015, when the Rams used a fifth-round choice on offensive lineman Isaiah Battle.

Beal, however, is a virtual lock to be selected in a few days.

The supplemental draft is carried out via email, with teams receiving an opportunity to notify the NFL whether they want to bid on a prospect and, if so, in which round. The league, according to its website, determines the draft order by slotting all 32 teams into three groups —­ nonplayoff teams with six or fewer wins, nonplayoff teams with more than six wins and playoff teams ­— and placing them into a lottery.

If a team were to pick a player Wednesday, it would forfeit its selection in the same round of next year’s regular draft.

Breaking down Beal

The Browns have the following picks in 2019: their own selections in the first through seventh rounds, a third-round choice they acquired from the New England Patriots in exchange for defensive tackle Danny Shelton and a conditional seventh-round pick they received from the Jacksonville Jaguars by trading quarterback Cody Kessler.

So if Dorsey wants Beal, he could place a third-round bid on him with the luxury of still owning the Patriots’ pick in the same round next spring.

But Brugler said he thinks a team might be willing to go the extra mile for Beal by using a second-round selection.

Dorsey has already revamped the cornerback position this offseason by drafting Denzel Ward fourth overall and Simeon Thomas in the sixth round, plus signing TJ Carrie, E.J. Gaines and Terrance Mitchell as unrestricted free agents. So the GM would need to love Beal to make a strong play for him.

“It wouldn’t shock me at all if the Browns are one of several teams that put a third-round bid in on [Beal], but if you really want him, do you have to put a second in?” Brugler said. “So I think that’ll be a big discussion with teams: Is he worth a second?”

Beal, who measured 6-foot⅞ and weighed 178 pounds at his pro day, started all but three games the past two years and compiled 96 tackles, 21 passes defensed, two interceptions and a forced fumble in three seasons at Western Michigan. He posted times of 4.47 and 4.55 seconds in the 40-yard dash with all of the league’s teams in attendance at his pro day, per NFL.com.

“He’s a tall, lean, athletic corner,” Brugler said. “There’s plenty to like about him. He’s undisciplined. He needs work. But down the line, he can be a guy that you’re glad you invested in. He needs technique work. It’s unsophisticated right now. But he has coachable tools, the physical traits. He likes to play bump and run. I wish he was a little better searching for the ball down the field and making plays.

“As a rookie, I don’t think he’s going to necessarily have a huge influence on the win-loss record. But he’s a guy that you’d love to bring into your program, coach him up, bring him along, and you could have a starting cornerback on your hands.”

Beal didn’t meet academic credit requirements to maintain eligibility for next season, leading him to enter the supplemental draft.

“I don’t think there’s anything that’s really going to make him toxic as a prospect where some of these other prospects these teams might shy away from for certain [off-field] things,” Brugler said. “With him, I think it’s just more of a maturity thing. You’re going to have to be hard on him. He’s going to have to accept hard coaching, and it’s going to be something that he’s going to have to grow up quickly.”

Beal cut his teeth by practicing against former Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis, whom the Tennessee Titans drafted fifth overall last year.

The other DBs

Alexander, 6-2¼ and 194 pounds, started 14 of the 33 games he played in three seasons at Virginia Tech and compiled 126 tackles, 24 passes defensed, seven interceptions and a forced fumble. He ran the 40 in 4.62 and 4.63 seconds at his pro day, per NFL.com. The Browns are not believed to be among the 26 teams that were in attendance.

Alexander landed on academic probation early during his time at Virginia Tech and ultimately didn’t meet the grade-point average he needed to stay academically eligible for next season. He served a suspension during the 2016 season opener after being charged with possession of marijuana. He also served a two-game suspension to begin the 2017 season because he violated team rules.

Brugler said he believes a team will use a pick in the third through fifth rounds on him.

“You love the size that he offers,” Brugler said. “He has long arms. He looks to press [in coverage]. He has good enough speed where he can carry receivers up and down the field. You see the ball skills. He had seven interceptions over his career. He’s a reliable tackler. I think some teams might even look at him as a safety.

“There’s plenty to like about Alexander. Off the field, the personal character, that’s going to cloud his projection a little bit. You’re going to have to be comfortable with who he is.”

Bryant, 5-11 and 207 pounds, started 25 of 38 games and racked up 157 tackles, 12 passes defensed, five interceptions and a forced fumble in three seasons at Mississippi State.

He ran the 40 in 4.45 and 4.52 seconds at his pro day, which was attended by 14 teams, including the Browns, according to NFL.com.

Bryant was withheld from spring practices for academic reasons and announced in April he would leave school. He was arrested on New Year’s Day in 2017 on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of an open container.

Although Brugler said Bryant has a chance to be picked in the fifth through seventh rounds, the analyst added he can also envision him going undrafted. The Browns, on paper, need depth at free safety behind Damarious Randall more than another corner.

“He was a guy that you got really excited about when he first got to Mississippi State,” Brugler said of Bryant. “He was part of the safety rotation there. Played mostly free safety. He kind of burst onto the scene with what he did early in his career and then he kind of fizzled off the last few years. You didn’t see the same production, the same dynamic ability to make plays.

“He moves really well for a safety. He’s twitched up. He’s got speed. But it doesn’t matter that you’re that athletic and you play the safety position if your eyes and your processing speed aren’t on the same level.

‘‘He doesn’t see plays develop. He doesn’t recognize route combinations. He’s just not there mentally yet. So it doesn’t matter that he can run a 4.3 or 4.4 if he’s not processing the action as quickly as he needs to so he can use that speed to make plays.”

This writer is certainly hot on Beal

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/27843...paign=editorial


Sam Beal: Meet the Best Supplemental Draft Prospect Since Josh Gordon
MATT MILLER
JULY 10, 2018

Western Michigan defensive back Sam Beal looks to the sideline in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Akron on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, in Akron, Ohio. Western Michigan won 41-0.

Sam Beal knows he won't hear his name called on network television—that's the curse of being picked on July 11 in the NFL supplemental draft—but he's determined to make those who passed on him or doubted him remember his name.

Who is Sam Beal? He's the best prospect to enter the league's supplemental draft in a long time. Maybe ever.

Let's start with how he got here.

Beal was a standout cornerback at Western Michigan after signing as a stud 2-star player on offense and defense out of Ottawa Hills High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a freshman, he played in 12 games before becoming a starter as a sophomore and quickly establishing himself as a ball hawk with eight pass breakups. That 2016 season put Beal on the radar of NFL teams who love the idea of a 6'1" corner with ball skills.


His 2017 junior season would be his best. He earned All-MAC second-team honors and made his first career interception (against Sam Darnold). Following the season, many NFL evaluators told agents and media members that Beal was likely a top-100 pick. But he decided to stay in school and finish his degree, something he said no one in his family has ever done. It was a goal he'd set with his mom.

"That was a big thing for me," Beal says. "That's why I feel like, you know, it had to be like that."

So...what happened?

Beal says he had fallen behind in academic credit hours but planned to catch back up in summer school: "So I was back in school, but the NCAA had to actually tell me if I was able to play."

With his eligibility not expected to be decided until the end of preseason camp, Beal decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the supplemental draft. He said he could have gone through "the whole camp and the whole process and [the NCAA] could have told me, 'You're not going to play.'"

Beal (right) has playmaker written all over him.
Beal (right) has playmaker written all over him.Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
Unlike most supplemental draft prospects of the last decade, Beal doesn't come with red flags off the field. There are no reported failed drug tests. There are no coaches throwing him under the bus as a bad teammate. Instead, a college kid got behind on some credits and was in danger of losing his eligibility. And now NFL teams are ready to jump on this rare opportunity.


Scroll through the NFL's list of former supplemental draft picks and prepare to be underwhelmed.

"When has it ever paid off to use a pick in the supplemental draft?" an NFL director of player personnel asked me after I suggested Beal could be a second-round pick. The short answer is rarely, if ever.

Josh Gordon is a talented player—maybe one of the top two or three most naturally gifted receivers in the NFL—but his career has been plagued by off-field issues. Terrelle Pryor had a solid season in 2016 at wide receiver after transitioning from quarterback, where he played in college and early in his pro career. But he hasn't exactly set the world on fire. Linebacker Ahmad Brooks, a third-round claim by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006, had the longest run of consistent play as a supplemental pick, but he never turned into a star. The NFL draft is always a bit of a crapshoot, but uncovering a standout player in the supplemental draft is like finding a needle in a haystack.

How will the NFL reconcile Beal's talent with the disappointing performances of past supplemental draft players? It hasn't been easy.

"He's obviously talented," one NFL defensive coordinator said when discussing Beal. "Long, flexible, fast. He fits the mold of what we want at outside corner."

When talking about his on-field performance, you don't find many negatives.

"He's a little light, little thin, but he can add 10 pounds and be fine in press situations," another defensive backs coach said. "You look at his feet and hips and see he's going to be able to cover."


Bottom line? He's good, and the NFL knows it, but there is hesitation to use a supplemental pick when so few have excelled coming from that draft.

"Listen, he's probably a third-round bid," one director of college scouting predicted, though he would only give a general range when asked where they expect Beal to be picked. "That's a safe spot, and someone will get antsy and not want to lose out on him. Maybe second-round if it's a playoff team."

A range is all you'll get from any team because ultimately it's a decision the head coach and general manager will make together—and for most teams, both are on vacation right now.


When Beal is picked, he won't get to hear his name called by the commissioner. Instead, his agent will get a phone call from the league office informing him which team claimed his rights.

Beal told me he's ready to come in and play catch-up in order to contribute immediately. He said he's "an athlete and is ready to compete and learn right away." Teams see him as pro-ready on film and believe his technique won't need major fixes before he's ready to get on the field.

When asked what he thinks makes him pro-ready, Beal said: "The excitement. I don't like fear. Some guys live by fear, but I feel like I don't fear playing at a high level. ... I bring intensity and fire. That's how I feel about it."

Whichever team claims him will forfeit a 2019 draft pick of the corresponding round, so where can Beal expect to land? Inside NFL front offices, talk centers around the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs.


The Bills and Browns own plenty of 2019 draft capital, so they could exchange a future pick for Beal. The Kansas City Chiefs own two second-round picks in next year's draft. They could put in a claim for Beal and still own the Los Angeles Rams' pick as part of the Marcus Peters trade. Could the Chiefs replace Peters with Beal in the supplemental draft? Many front office people say Beal is the right fit for their scheme and falls in line with the type of aggressive moves general manager Brett Veach has been making.

It is thoughts like that—Beal is talented, pro-ready and clean off the field—that generate talk of "best ever" supplemental prospect. He doesn't have the off-field issues of a Josh Gordon. He's not a potential position switch like Terrelle Pryor. He's ready to make an impact from Day 1. Teams know it. Beal feels it. He's ready to leave his mark on the league.

Someone just needs to give him a chance.

I'd give our top 3rd round pick ... that should get him

Sounds about right ...

I wouldn't give more than that... we've got a good backfield now.. I'm not sure it makes sense to spend the capital .. only to cut cut equal talent.

Supplemental draft begins with a lottery, has 10-minute rounds
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 10, 2018, 5:32 PM EDT


For NFL fans, the supplemental draft often feels shrouded in mystery: Unlike the regular draft, which is a much-hyped major event, the supplemental draft comes and goes before many fans even realize it.

This year’s supplemental draft begins Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern, and as many as three players — Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal, Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander and Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant — have a decent chance of being selected. Two other players — Oregon State linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu and Grand Valley State running back Marty Carter — are eligible to be selected but probably won’t be, and will have to hope some team invites them to training camp as an undrafted free agent.

One thing that makes the supplemental draft different from the regular draft is that the NFL uses an NBA-style draft lottery to determine the order: The teams with worse records have a better chance of getting higher supplemental draft picks, but the supplemental draft does not follow the same order as the regular draft.

What’s also different is that the supplemental draft ends quickly: Each round can last just 10 minutes, so the whole draft would last at most 70 minutes — and probably even less than that.

PFT requested a primer on the supplemental draft, and the league provided us with the following:

1. The Draft will continue until all players have been selected or seven rounds have been completed, whichever occurs first. Each round will last 10 minutes.

2. If a player is selected in a given round, the selecting club will forfeit its selection in the same round in the subsequent Principal Draft, which is scheduled for April 25-27, 2019.

3. Priority in the Supplemental Draft will be established by a weighted lottery, which will be conducted on the morning of the Supplemental Draft. Clubs will be notified of the priority for the Supplemental Draft shortly before 1:00 p.m. Once the Draft has begun, no further trades involving draft choices will be accepted until it is over. The order of each round will reflect any previously completed trades.

4. Choices to which a club does not own clear title may not be exercised. For example, Club A has traded its own 2019 third-round choice to Club B for a player, contingent upon that player being a member of Club A’s Active List at some time during the 2018 regular season. Because there is no way at this time to determine which club will end up with the 2019 choice (i.e., it may revert to Club A if the roster contingency is not fulfilled), the choice may not be exercised by either club in the Supplemental Draft.

5. To expedite what otherwise would be a very lengthy procedure, the following steps will be taken for each round:
a) At 1:00 p.m., the League office will notify all clubs that the first round has begun.
b) Clubs will then have 10 minutes, with the time limit running concurrently for all Clubs, to respond if they wish to select in Round One. All responses should be immediate. This is in lieu of the procedure used during the regular Draft under which an individual club’s allotted time limit does not begin until the Club ahead of it has made its selection.
c) Any club that knows in advance that it will pass the opportunity to select for the entire seven rounds, or for a specific number of rounds fewer than seven, is requested to advise the League office prior to the beginning of the Draft. intentions will be kept confidential from other clubs and will be used only to expedite this process.
d) If a player is selected in a given round — even if selected by more than one club — the selections will be compiled and the player will be awarded to the club that holds priority. Clubs are to be notified immediately of players awarded to other clubs. Clubs that hold more than one choice in a round must indicate to the League office which choice they are using for the selection.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...-minute-rounds/

So it's not automatic that Cleveland has the first pick, but they have the best chance to have the highest priority.

Interesting. I either forgot about that or was unaware of it.

After briefly looking at all the players... I'd have to throw a fourth for Bryant and throw a third for Beal... take it or leave it on either.

Same, but change that pick for Beal to a 2nd.

Secondary fixed.
That's a small price to pay to have an entire position group fixed for the next five years.

Not sure I spend that high of a pick on Beal. That education story sounds suspect to me.

I'm not a fan of guys who can't take of business.

oh, it definitely sounds suspect-ish, but I don't question the decision to come out when he is because if he doesn't jump at this now he may not play at all in 2018, anywhere, and that costs him dearly. Once his eligibility is in question, he had to make this move.

Agreed. I was just thinking about whether or not we should pick him. But again, I have absolutely no idea how good he is. I never watched him play.

I haven't, either, but it seems that he is rather highly regarded as a talent, so I'm of the mind that we've blown so many picks over the last several years on guys with questionable talent, we may as well roll the dice on a guy whose talent isn't questionable.

He may well still bust, but at least it shouldn't be due to a lack of ability to run with the big dogs at this level.

For that reason, I'd throw down a 2nd and be content with the gamble.

Agreed.

If we are going to make him a selection, don't gamble that someone else offers a 2nd.

I have no clue about the kid or where we shoud take him .. i’ll Never say a word either way with this kid ... i don’t know enough ...

What i do know is our secondary isn’t fixed quite yet .... we have no clue if we have a FS or not? ... dude hasn’t played the position in 3 or 4 years and he has NEVER PLAYED IT IN THE NFL ...

NO CLUE why anyone thinks FS is fixed ... i’m not even sure about SS ... but FS definelty is a HUGE ASS QUESTION MARK ...

There’s a HUGE DIFFERENCE between UPGRADED and FIXED ...

I heard on the radio that Dorsey attended Beal's recent workout at Western Michigan, which was, in effect, his pro day. The question Dorsey has to ask (and answer) is "Would this guy be taken in the top 40 in next April's draft if there were no academic issues?". If the answer to that is yes, then why wouldn't you want him earlier for a bonus season?

Why does he have to answer that question with that caveat? The academic issues absolutely play into the decision of which pick to use on him.

I absolutely put in a pick for him. Our secondary has NOT been fixed. There's a chance it's been fixed, but that requires quite a few FAs and draft picks to pan out in a hurry. If we can pick up another guy who should be closer to starter-level ability than bench-level, I don't see why we wouldn't.

The trick is to figure out which pick to use. For me, it's between the second and third. I would prefer to use a 3rd, given his academic issues. The only potential to move that up to a second would be if we got bumped down the priority order, and there is a CB-needy team ahead of us.

I don't worry about the school issues all that much. Some people don't like school or don't do well in school.

Now, if the guy is stupid, that's another matter. No way for us to know anything about that. I don't know if Dorsey had a chance to talk to the kid or not. I am sure we have talked to his coach. Did he pick-up the play book or did he need special tutoring to understand the defensive calls?

I was thinking in terms of his perceived value now vs next spring if he had academic eligibility and played college football this fall, and then entered the 2019 draft. If he had waited for the 2019 draft without having played football this fall, his perceived value would fall out of the top 40 regardless, imo.

Ding Ding Ding. The Supplemental Draft has begun . . .

With the first pick, the Cleveland Browns select ... nobody.
With the second pick, the New York Giants select ... nobody.

Would make for great TV.

Adam Schefter
✔
@AdamSchefter
First player picked in supplemental draft since 2015: Western Michigan CB Sam Beal goes in round x to the NY Giants, per league source. Giants forfeit an x-round pick for 2019 draft.

And for those wondering why we didn't pick him before the Giants ... the draft order was new and based on a lottery:

Rob Rang
@RobRang
Breaking: The Oakland Raiders won the lottery and will have the first pick of each round in the 2018 NFL supplemental draft. Followed by the Jets, Giants, Browns, Broncos.

3rd rounder. Giants had the 3rd pick in the Supplemental draft.

LOL, I just noticed that. I guess Schefty was desperate to get that tweet out first!

So the Browns knew they would likely have to surrender a 2nd rounder once they saw the draft order. I'm glad we didn't, would rather use a 2nd round pick next year with an entire pool of talent to choose from and a clear idea of "needs".

I bet at least 25 teams threw in a 3rd round bid for Beal...

Dorsey was in attendance at the guy's "Pro Day", and has a history of not messing around when he wants someone. Without knowing a ton about the guy, I can't get too upset about not landing him.

Any news on the other guys? They said the other CB would probably be drafted as well, but not the safety.

To quote Borat: "I am disappoint."

Eh, well, apparently Dorsey wasn't all that impressed -- or he gambled on being able to bargain shop the kid. Too bad.

once we saw the order, we probably knew a 3rd would't get him

A third was the most I would've gave for Beal. The academic ineligibility there hung on me regarding him.

Round 6 Supplemental results: #Redskins select Virginia Tech DB Adonis Alexander

so we didn't like him most likely

Skins got Adonis (VaTech)

Or what Dawgs4Life already said.

??? Hmmmm.