INDIANAPOLIS — This week, five NFL hopefuls get a shot at joining league rosters via the annual supplemental draft.
The supplemental draft — which allows eligible players who did not declare for the spring NFL Draft to declare for the league before the season begins — will be held this Wednesday, July 11, at 1 p.m. ET.
Players may be granted eligibility into the supplemental draft for various reasons, though the most common are for academic ineligibility or dismissal from their college team for the upcoming season.
Here's how the whole process works, according to Bucky Brooks of NFL.com:
"To select a player in the supplemental draft, a team will submit a bid with a round value attached to a prospect. If multiple teams submit bids, the player goes to the highest bidder, according to a slotted lottery system that breaks up teams into three different groups: non-playoff teams with six or fewer wins, non-playoff teams with more than six wins and playoff teams. The winning bidder agrees to give up the round selection in the following year's NFL draft."
The Colts will be part of the first group along with the Cleveland Browns (0-16), New York Giants (3-13), Houston Texans (4-12), New York Jets (5-11), Denver Broncos (5-11), Chicago Bears (5-11), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11), San Francisco 49ers (6-10), Miami Dolphins (6-10) and Oakland Raiders (6-10).
The Colts, as of now, officially have eight 2019 draft picks at their disposal that they can use to bid in this year's supplemental draft, including an extra second-round pick resulting from March's trade with the New York Jets.
Although no players have been selected in the supplemental draft since 2015, when the then-St. Louis Rams used a fifth-round pick on Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle, that is expected to change this year. In fact, this is the most loaded supplemental draft in recent memory.
And while the Colts have never claimed a player in the supplemental draft, this year's group could be quite enticing to general manager Chris Ballard and his staff.
Eligible for this year's draft are Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander, Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal, Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant, Grand Valley State running back Martayveus Carter and Oregon State linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu.
With three defensive backs available who are good enough to warrant being picked, and the fact that you can never have enough quality DBs, it seems likely the three get picked — at the very least the two corners. Alexander and Beal were actually expected to be early-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.
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Adonis Alexander, cornerback
Why He's Available: Ruled academically ineligible this spring.
Possible Draft Stock: Round 3-4
The Player: At 6-2, 195 pounds with 32-inch arms, Alexander has great size and length for the cornerback position. Although he has average speed, he is very aggressive and can take receivers out of the play if he gets the upper hand early. In 32 games for the Hokies, Alexander totaled seven interceptions and 17 pass breakups, so he's got good ball skills.
Along with the academic issues, Alexander was also arrested on a charge of marijuana possession in 2016. He told NFL.com that he has been working on his maturity and growing up over the last year.
According to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com, the Colts are one of four teams who have met with Alexander.
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Sam Beal, cornerback
Why He's Available: Ruled academically ineligible this spring.
Possible Draft Stock: Round 3-4
The Player: Beal is another corner with good size and length, measuring at almost 6-1 and 178 pounds with over a 72-inch wingspan. He has played heavier than that measured weight, so that is not much of a concern. It could easily be a result of feverishly preparing for his pro day the few weeks prior.
Beal is faster and more agile than Alexander, but not as physical. Still, Beal displays good mirroring skills to be able to stay in a receiver's hip pocket. One concern is that Beal has just two career interceptions and 19 pass breakups. However, those numbers improved throughout his time at the college level, so perhaps it shows his best days are ahead.
All 32 teams were represented at Beal's pro day, per Jeff Risdon of RealGM.
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Brandon Bryant, safety
Why He's Available: Ruled academically ineligible this spring.
Possible Draft Stock: Round 6-PFA
The Player: Bryant is known for being a physically gifted, explosive player. He's got a well-built frame at 5-11, 207 (usually listed a little heavier). He is tough against the run and has really good closing burst when getting to the ball.
However, like many tough-minded safeties, Bryant can display that reckless missile mentality where he tries to land a big hit but can be inaccurate in doing so.
Bryant's interviews with the Colts and the Baltimore Ravens were his favorite, according to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com.
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Martayveus Carter, running back
Why He's Available: Ruled academically ineligible this spring.
Possible Draft Stock: UDFA
The Player: Carter is estimated about 6-foot, 200 pounds, although he did not have time for a pro day to verify his measurables. He is known to be more of an outside runner who struggles running between the tackles, perhaps due to both vision and strength.
Carter was very productive while on the field during his college career, though, totaling 3,728 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns. That includes a standout 2016 campaign in which he ran for 1,908 yards and 20 touchdowns.
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Bright Ugwoegbu, linebacker
Why He's Available: Suspended indefinitely during the spring.
Possible Draft Stock: UDFA
The Player: Ugwoegbu has a tough road ahead of him. At 6-1 and 205 pounds, he is undersized for a linebacker, even for one in a Tampa-2, 4-3 defense like the Colts'. He has experience playing in several spots, including off the edge and in the nickel, so it gives coaches something to work with when projecting what he'll do in the NFL.
Ugwoegbu's awareness and effort are good, but unfortunately, it does not appear he has the athleticism to match that size, running his 40-yard dash in the 4.9s at his pro day, for example. If a team doesn't want him at linebacker, they could try and move him to a special teams or box safety role.
