The NFL Supplemental Draft is set to make a comeback in July after a four-year absence. This draft allows all 32 teams to acquire prospects who were ineligible for the traditional draft. While there were several players that entered the NFL through this process in the past, recent decades have witnessed a decline in teams taking chances on supplemental picks.

Notably, the regular NFL Draft consists of seven rounds. This year’s Mr. Irrelevant was Desjuan Johnson, who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the 259^th pick. However, he might not be the last rookie to find a team.

There are some successful examples in the league with this draft. The main example is without a doubt wide receiver Chris Carter, who has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Another name to highlight is Bernie Kosar, a Pro Bowl quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.

2023 NFL Supplemental Draft: Date

The event isn’t as impactful as the one that took place in April, but any chance of adding talent should be considered. That’s why scouts are likely excited about this opportunity. This time the 2023 NFL supplemental draft will be held on July 11, according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic.

How does the NFL supplemental draft work?

In the NFL supplemental draft teams submit blind bids specifying the round in which they would select a specific player. The winner of the bid and therefore the team that gets the player is the one that placed the highest-round pick.

In case two teams have the same bid, the team with the better position in the draft order takes the prospect. When a team wins a bid, it will forfeit a pick from that round in the following year’s draft. Teams are divided into three categories based on their performance in the previous season to make the process fair.

The order within these groups is determined by a weighted lottery, favoring teams with fewer wins. The first one has non-playoff teams with six or fewer wins, the second one features non-playoff teams with more than six wins, while the third one has the playoff teams, per Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports.

NFL Supplemental Draft

The NFL confirms a new draft: When is the 2023 NFL Supplemental Draft?