Ra’Zahn Howard To Enter Supplemental Draft

Purdue defensive tackle Ra’Zahn Howard will enter the 2016 supplemental draft, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who also reports that Howard will hold a pro day in New Jersey on July 8. While no exact date has been set for this years’ supplemental draft, the event has taken place on the second Thursday of July in past years, so July 14 looks like an option.

Howard, who stands 6’3″ and 310 pounds, was suspended for academic reasons in January and had actually announced last month that he would transfer from Purdue, according to Gold and Black. Clearly, he’s changed his mind about attending another school, and he’ll now attempt to make it in the NFL after appearing in 24 games — posting 47 tackles and three sacks — during three years in West Lafayette. According to Hammer and Nails, SB Nation’s Purdue blog, Howard was massive defensive tackle who essentially “took up space” in the middle of the Boilermakers’ line.

The supplemental draft allows clubs to select players who for some reason were unable to enter the standard draft; academic trouble or disciplinary issues are often – but not always – key factors. If a team selects a player in the supplementary draft, it will lose its corresponding pick in the following year’s standard draft. For example, if a club were to select a player in the fourth round of the supplemental, it will lose its 2017 fourth-rounder as a result.

Most players who enter the supplemental draft ultimately go undrafted, allowing them to become free agents and sign with any team. That has been the case over the last two years, as supplemental draft day came and went without any selections. The last two players to be picked were Isaiah Battle (Rams, 2015), Terrelle Pryor (Raiders, 2011) by the Raiders, and Josh Gordon (Browns, 2012).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.