HEADLINES

Bright Ugwoegbu

Albert Breer On NFL Supplemental Draft

July 2nd, 2018 at 12:16pm CST by Zachary Links

This year’s supplemental draft figures to be the most exciting in years. Those who have been keeping up with Pro Football Rumors in recent weeks are already familiar with Sam Beal, the former Western Michigan cornerback who many say could have been a first-round pick in the 2019 draft. Besides Beal, there’s also former Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander to consider, a player with tremendous measurables and real NFL upside.

There are others in this year’s class, but Albert Breer of The MMQB hears that Beal and Alexander may wind up as the only players selected. That’s bad news for Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant, who recently drew 40 scouts to his pro day.

“He’s a nightmare discipline-wise,” one AFC college director said. “Very unreliable, plays outside the scheme, not reliable in coverage, his eyes are all over the place. Just can’t trust him. He’s physical and quick and fast. Should he be draftable? Sure. But with all the other stuff …”

The odds seem even dimmer for Oregon State linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu and Grand Valley State running back Martayveus Carter. Although he has some starting experience in college, Ugwoegbu has the size of the safety and clocked in at his pro day with the speed of a defensive tackle. Carter’s size is also working against him as evaluators feel he does not have the necessary bulk to break tackles and run inside at the pro level.

So, while Bryant, Ugwoegbu, and Carter may have a hard time convincing teams to forfeit a 2019 draft pick for them, it sounds like Beal and Alexander are very much on the radar. Beal may have some maturity issues, but that shouldn’t prevent him from finding an NFL home on July 11.

“He’s the more talented cover guy [compared to Alexander],” said an AFC scouting director. “A pure cover guy, fits a lot of schemes. He’s a skinny dude, and even though he presses well, you look at his body, how well does he project? … He’s not a bad guy, just kind of a knucklehead. The kind who’ll wear the wrong color socks or miss curfew or have 25 parking tickets and not pay them off.”

Meanwhile, Breer hears that Alexander’s size could make him a fit for the Seahawks. His 40-yard-dash time at his pro day might not have helped him, as he clocked in at 4.50 seconds on one run and 4.60 on another.

“If he’d run faster, I wouldn’t have been shocked to see him in the second or third round,” said an NFC exec. “I think the absolute highest he’d go now is third round. He’s so big and long.”

Extra Points: XFL, AAF, Agents, Supplemental Draft

June 29th, 2018 at 4:46pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

One of the main reasons for the initial demise of the XFL was its relative lack of funding. The low amount of initial startup funds plagued the league from the beginning and forced them to offer low salaries and no insurance benefits to players. Founder Vince McMahon is taking precautions to ensure the new iteration of the XFL is much more successful, and is spending a lot more money according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com.

Rovell reports that McMahon is planning on spending $500MM over the first three years of the league. A lot of the money will be going to player and coaches salaries, and the league is planning on paying players a base salary of $75,000 with stars earning a lot more. Rovell also hears that it’s significantly more money than the rival upstart AAF has raised. It should be interesting to watch how these two new professional football leagues continue to battle it out.

Here’s more from the football universe:

  • Speaking of the XFL and AAF, Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com notes that while the XFL will offer more money, the AAF will be more open ended and potentially provide more opportunities for players to enter the NFL. He also points out that neither league’s salary will match that of an NFL practice squad (Twitter link).
  • Oregon State linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu announced recently that he was joining the 2018 Supplemental Draft, and now he’s had his Pro Day. Six teams, the Packers, Seahawks, Patriots, Saints, Bears, and 49ers, attended his Pro Day, where he ran a 4.97 40-yard dash according to DraftAnalyst.com’s Tony Pauline (Twitter links). The Supplemental Draft will take place July 11th.
  • The NFL announced a while back they were having a very controversial “continuing education” exam for the league’s agents, and now the results are in. Many agents opposed the test, which could strip them of their certification if they failed, but the vast majority passed, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). La Canfora hears that around 95 percent of agents passed, as only 30 out of 651 failed the exam.

Oregon State LB Bright Ugwoegbu Added To Supplemental Draft

June 25th, 2018 at 7:57pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Oregon State linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu has officially been added into this year’s Supplemental Draft, a source told ProFootballTalk (Twitter link). He will join three other defensive players, defensive backs Brandon Bryant, Sam Beal, and Adonis Alexander in the draft, which will be held on July 11th. 

Ugwoegbu started 20 games for the Beavers during his college career before he was indefinitely suspended back in April. Last year, he notched 55 tackles and one sack. As a sophomore in 2016, he had 54 tackles and 5.5 sacks. It’s unclear why exactly Ugwoegbu left Oregon State or if he is seen as a probable pick in the Supplemental Draft.

Ugwoegbu was given a sixth or seventh round grade by Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com before last season, so it sounds like he has a realistic shot at being drafted. At the time, Pauline wrote he “could be a good nickel linebacker for the next level” calling him “explosive” and saying that “he covers a lot of area on the field going sideline to sideline.”

The Supplemental Draft process is starting to heat up, with the a couple of the aforementioned prospects recently having their Pro Days. Bryant had his earlier today, while Alexander had his last Wendesday. Alexander also reportedly met with the Jets, Saints, Chiefs, and Colts privately. This year’s Supplemental Draft is shaping up as the busiest in recent memory, as only two players have been selected in the past six years.