2014 Supplemental Draft News & Rumors

Chiefs, Jets Interested In WR Tyler Boyd?

A Tyler Boyd market has formed in the AFC. The Bengals Tee Higgins franchise tag and future Ja’Marr Chase payment, in all likelihood, makes a third Boyd contract unrealistic. But three other AFC teams are believed to be in on the veteran slot receiver.

In addition to Boyd’s hometown Steelers, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly notes the Chiefs and Jets are believed to have interest in the eight-year wide receiver. While the Jets were not believed to be in on Boyd recently, per The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, players are believed to be recruiting the former 1,000-yard receiver.

[RELATED: Mutual Interest Between Steelers, Tyler Boyd]

Each team needs receiver help. The Steelers cut Allen Robinson and traded Diontae Johnson, while the Chiefs trudged through an uneven year — despite said season ending with another Super Bowl title — at the position. They have since released Marquez Valdes-Scantling and missed out on Darnell Mooney. Kansas City was also believed to be interested in a pitch for Mike Evans, who re-signed with the Buccaneers.

The Jets’ effort to add receiving talent to complement Garrett Wilson bombed in 2023. The Mecole Hardman whiff became the Chiefs’ gain (and might bring a tampering investigation, as Joe Douglas hinted), while the Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard pickups did not move the needle, either. Lazard received $22MM guaranteed at signing, keeping the former Packer in the mix despite a disappointing Jets debut. But the team was linked to both Evans and Davante Adams recently.

Boyd is not on those stars’ level, but he did make regular contributions to the Joe Burrow-era Bengals teams after commanding an eight-figure-per-year extension while working with Andy Dalton in the 2010s. Boyd, 29, posted two 1,000-yard seasons with Dalton and cleared 750 yards from 2020-22. Last season, the big-bodied slot target totaled just 667 yards — still more than Higgins’ total — and two TDs, with Burrow’s injury contributing to the dip. With Mooney, Gabe Davis and Calvin Ridley off the board, markets like this one come into focus.

No Players Selected In Supplemental Draft

The 2014 NFL supplemental draft has come and gone, and for the second consecutive year, no players were selected, according to Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com (via Twitter). The event took place at noon central time today, but quickly came to a close, with no teams submitting draft-pick bids for any of this year’s eligible players.

New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton, Virginia-Lynchburg defensive lineman LaKendrick Ross, SMU running back Traylon Shead, and UNC linebacker Darius Lipford were the four players eligible to be drafted today, and will now become free agents, able to sign with any team.

The supplemental draft is intended to accommodate players who missed the deadline for May’s NFL draft or were declared ineligible for another reason. If a team wants to select a player in the supplemental draft, it must let the league know the round in which it’s willing to select that player. The club which submits the highest round will receive the player and forfeit a 2015 draft pick in that same round. For instance, when the Browns used a second-round supplemental choice on Josh Gordon in 2012, it meant that the team lost its second-round pick for the 2013 draft.

Since no players were selected this year, 2015’s draft order won’t be affected.

Latest On 2014 Supplemental Draft

The NFL’s supplemental draft will take place tomorrow at noon central time, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), who lists the four players eligible to be selected: New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton, Virginia-Lynchburg defensive lineman LaKendrick Ross, SMU running back Traylon Shead, and UNC linebacker Darius Lipford. While we’d previously heard about the first three prospects, Lipford’s inclusion is new.

A year ago, none of the six players eligible for the supplemental draft were picked, and that may be the case again this year. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reported yesterday that no teams he’d spoken to had a draftable grade on any players eligible to be selected this year.

Still, many teams are at least doing their due diligence on this year’s supplemental draft class. The Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, and Texans reportedly attended the workout for Ross, while the Cowboys, Texans, Packers, Colts, Lions, Giants, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Bears were in attendance to watch Shead work out.

The supplemental draft is intended to accommodate players who missed the deadline for May’s NFL draft or were declared ineligible for another reason. If a team wants to select a player in the supplemental draft, it must let the league know the round in which it’s willing to select that player. The club which submits the highest round will receive the player and forfeit a 2015 draft pick in that same round. For instance, when the Browns used a second-round supplemental choice on Josh Gordon in 2012, it meant that the team lost its second-round pick for the 2013 draft.

Teams Not Eager About Supplemental Draft

Teams Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter) has spoken with so far do not have a draftable grade on any of the players for Friday’s supplemental draft. If no one is selected this year, that will mark the second year in a row that the supplemental draft has gone by without a selection.

Earlier today we learned that the Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, and Texans attended the workout for former Virginia-Lynchburg defensive lineman LaKendrick Ross. Meanwhile, the Cowboys, Texans, Packers, Colts, Lions, Giants, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Bears were in attendance to watch SMU running back Traylon Shead work out. Aside from Ross, Shead, and New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton, there’s not much of interest in this year’s class.

Last year, defensive end James Boyd (UNLV) defensive tackle Nate Holloway (UNLV), defensive end Toby Jackson (Central Florida), wide receiver DeWayne Peace (Houston), wide receiver O.J. Ross (Purdue), and defensive back Damond Smith (South Alabama) were all eligible for the supplemental draft but were not chosen. The last player selected in the supplemental draft was in 2012 when the Browns took a wide receiver out of Baylor by the name of Josh Gordon.

The supplemental draft is intended to accommodate players who missed the deadline for May’s NFL draft or were declared ineligible for another reason. If a team wants to select a player in the supplemental draft, it must let the league know the round in which it’s willing to select that player. The club which submits the highest round will receive the player and forfeit a 2015 draft pick in that same round. For instance, when the Browns used a second-round supplemental choice on Gordon in 2012, it meant that the team lost its second-round pick for the 2013 draft.

Latest On NFL Supplemental Draft

A pair of prospects eligible for this month’s NFL supplemental draft recently held Pro Days, which were attended by a handful of teams, according to various reports. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears from agent Louis Bing that the Cowboys, Texans, Packers, Colts, Lions, Giants, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Bears were in attendance to watch SMU running back Traylon Shead work out. Meanwhile, according to NFLDraftDiamonds.com (via PFT), the Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, and Texans attended the workout for former Virginia-Lynchburg defensive lineman LaKendrick Ross.

As Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report wrote last month when he previewed 2014’s supplemental draft, it doesn’t project to be too exciting an affair, with Shead, Ross, and New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton among the players eligible. A year ago, none of the six players eligible for the 2013 supplemental draft were selected, and it looks like this year’s crop of players won’t warrant more than late-round picks, if they’re taken at all.

The supplemental draft is intended to accommodate players who missed the deadline for May’s NFL draft or were declared ineligible for another reason. In some cases, players eligible for the supplemental draft land there as a result of being declared academically ineligible in the NCAA, or being kicked off of a team — this helps to explain why some of the more notable players selected in recent supplemental drafts – such as Josh Brent and Josh Gordon – have had off-field concerns.

If a team wants to select a player in the supplemental draft, it must let the league know the round in which it’s willing to select that player. The club which submits the highest round will receive the player and forfeit a 2015 draft pick in that same round. For instance, when the Browns used a second-round supplemental choice on Gordon in 2012, it meant that the team lost its second-round pick for the 2013 draft.

Pompei Previews Supplemental Draft

The NFL’s supplemental draft is fast approaching, but it doesn’t look like there will be much action. Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei briefly previews the July draft and comes to the conclusion that it will be a “dud.”

At this moment, there only appears to be two players available: New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton and SMU running back Traylon Shead.

Clayton could potentially be a late-round pick “if he has a great workout”, a scout told Pompei. However, two other scouts were “dubious” about his chances. Clayton had a solid season in 2012, particularly in the return game. He returned 20 kicks for 608 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 209 yards on 32 carries. Last season, Clayton injured his knee in the team’s opening game against UTSA. The injury was expected to knock him out for two weeks, but Clayton ended up missing the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, Pompei’s scouts think less of Shead’s chances, but say he could be brought in for training camp and could eventually earn a practice squad spot. Shead had 51 rushes for 197 yards and three scores last season and was once a highly-regarded prospect. Nonetheless, Pompei’s scouts say that the player has “ball security problems and wasn’t a consistent pass-protector.”

The last time we saw a player selected in the supplemental draft was 2012, when the Browns selected wide receiver Josh Gordon in the second round.