2015 NFL Supplemental Draft: Rules, eligible players

The 2015 NFL Supplemental Draft is set to take place later today, with a scheduled start time of 10 a.m. PT. The draft is not televised, but we will likely hear some information sometime around then. Players are rarely picked in the supplemental draft, with the last one being Josh Gordon in 2012. The Cleveland Browns sacrificed a 2013 second round pick to acquire the talented, but sometimes troubled receiver.

Fooch's update: Per Matt Barrows, the 49ers were on hand for workouts for Isaiah Battle, Darrius Caldwell, Dalvon Stuckey and Adrian Wilkins.

Eligible players

There are seven players available for selection in the draft. Players must apply for eligibility because it requires they have not been eligible for the regular draft back in April. They usually have had some kind of off-field issue (be it legal, academic, or otherwise). Arguably the two most famous supplemental picks were Cris Carter and Brian Bosworth. Here is the list of players eligible to be selected:

OT Isaiah Battle, Clemson
DE Darrius Caldwell, West Georgia
DT Dalvon Stuckey, West Georgia
DE Eric Eiland, Houston
TE Sean McQuillan, UConn
DB Kevin Short, Kansas
WR Adrian Wilkins, North Carolina Central

49ers history

The San Francisco 49ers have selected five players in the supplemental draft. In 1978, they selected running back Rod Connors. In 1984, they selected wide receiver Derrick Crawford, offensive tackle Joe Conwell, and running back Mark Schellen. 1985, they selected running back Roosevelt Snipes. Current 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was originally selected in the supplemental draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Draft order

The NFL does not use straight previous year record for the supplemental draft. Instead, the league uses a lottery to determine order. Teams are weighted based on record, like the NBA lottery. The lottery is broken down into three groups. The first tier is teams with six or fewer wins the previous season. The second tier is teams with seven or more wins that didn't make the playoffs. The final tier is the 12 playoff teams.

Draft picks

The whole thing takes place via email. A team submits the player or players they want and the corresponding round in which they would take them. Teams are grouped by won/loss record so the team with the worst record and highest bid will be awarded the player. They would then lose their pick from that round in the next draft.

Scouting reports

Dan Kadar has a preview up at Mocking the Draft. Although nobody has been selected since 2012, a lot of analysts expect Isaiah Battle to go at some point today. Dan has some extensive analysis about Battle in his article. There are also scouting reports for the players at NFL.com. They also have a "mock draft" that features a whole lot of passing, and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers using a fourth round pick on Battle.

The 49ers hold two extra picks in the 2016 NFL Draft. They have the San Diego Chargers fifth round pick, and the Dallas Cowboys sixth round pick. Maybe they roll the dice with one of those extra picks?