Eagles Wake-Up Call: On the Supplemental Draft

The coverage and anticipation are not quite at the level of the actual draft, but he NFL will conduct its supplemental draft later today.

The supplemental draft is for prospects who were not eligible for the April/May draft for one reason or another – they were academically ineligible, got kicked off their college team, etc.

NFL teams submit picks by round for each prospect. If they are awarded a player, they forfeit that round’s pick in next year’s draft. The Browns, for example, selected Josh Gordon with a second-round supplemental pick in 2012, thus giving up their second-round selection in 2013. Gordon was the last player to be selected in the supplemental draft. None have been taken the past two seasons.

This year, the most popular name is Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle. Here’s a scouting report from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:

Battle said he was entering the supplemental draft to help support his family, with a child due this summer. NFL scouts believe that his previous disciplinary issues and a recent report by The Clemson Insider that he was cited for possession of marijuana and speeding in June might have caused Clemson to push Battle out of the door. Regardless, this left tackle is a player who will be strongly considered by a few teams. Battle has great length and is able to get into edge rushers quickly. He has the athleticism to fit in nicely with zone-scheme running teams. He has issues with waist-bending and leaning on defenders at times, which is the sign of a player who has concerns about his own strength and anchor.

The Eagles take a three-pronged approach to scouting. Battle (6-7, 290) has the measurables, and based on the scouting report above, he would be a fit in the Birds’ zone blocking scheme. This is obviously a need area for the Eagles as well. As we’ve discussed often in this space, the team has not drafted an offensive lineman since Lane Johnson went fourth overall in 2013. At some point, Johnson will replace Jason Peters at left tackle, and someone will have to play right tackle.

But the Eagles’ third category is character/attitude/intelligence. That’s obviously where Battle might fall short. Sure, the Eagles took a shot on John Moffitt, but that was a no-risk signing that didn’t involve any guaranteed money. Adding Battle would likely require the Eagles to give up a mid to late round pick next year. I’d be surprised if they were willing to go that route, but we’ll see. ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss reported that 26 teams were represented at Battle’s workout.

There are six other players eligible for the supplemental draft: West Georgia edge defender Darrius Caldwell, Houston defensive end Eric Eiland, UConn TE Sean McQuillan, Kansas DB Kevin Short, West Georgia DT Dalvon Stuckey and North Carolina Central WR Adrian Wilkins.

Zierlein has write-ups on each prospect, but he doesn’t expect any other than Battle to be drafted.

WHAT YOU MISSED

Football School: On Jimmy Johnson advising Chip Kelly, the Bill Walsh/Dick Vermeil connection and a draft pet peeve.

What the Eagles coaches see in Matt Tobin and Allen Barbre.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

The Jason Pierre-Paul situation gets stranger by the day.

Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul finger amputated today. Medical source expects him to play this season, “sooner than people think.”

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 8, 2015

Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice takes a look at 2016 QB prospect Jared Goff from Cal:

• He’s not a statue, but he’s not going to make many plays with his legs.

• “Air Raid” offense will bother some teams in that it’s not a traditional drop back scheme (and thus more difficult to project to the pro level), but that’s something the Eagles will care less about than other teams.

Overall, I like Goff quite a bit, and I think the Eagles will too. This could be a first round guy if he continues to progress. Goff is definitely a player to keep a close eye on this season.

COMING UP

We’ll keep an eye on the supplemental draft and have some other notes.