Getty Former West Virginia WR Marcus Simms.
It’s been a good while since the Raiders made a pick in the supplemental draft. In fact, it’s been eight years since former team owner Al Davis used a third-round pick to acquire quarterback Terrelle Pryor in the 2011 supplemental draft. Coming out of Ohio State, Pryor was an athletic marvel, but not the best passer. Desperate for a starting quarterback after the JaMarcus Russell debacle, Davis decided to roll the dice and pick up Pryor. The gamble didn’t pay off as the worries about Pryor’s passing ability turned out to be true. Pryor found a second life as a wide receiver after leaving Oakland but hasn’t been able to find a consistent team. Eight years later, is there a player that the Raiders may be willing to take a flyer on in this supplemental draft?
What is the Supplemental Draft?
Dan Kadar at SB Nation has a very good breakdown of what exactly the supplemental draft is. If you’re unaware, the supplemental draft exists for college underclassmen who become ineligible to return to college and decide to go to the NFL after the deadline to declare passes. Teams can bid on these players using draft picks from the following year. Depending on how a team did in the previous year, they would have a better shot at a player based on how much a team was willing to bid. If two teams bid the same amount, the team that ranks highest on the above breakdown would be rewarded the player.
With all that said, not many players get selected from the supplemental draft. Before there were two players selected last year, there hadn’t been a player selected in the supplemental draft since 2015. However, just because a player is in the supplemental draft, doesn’t mean they don’t have talent. Former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter is the only the Hall of Famer to come from a supplemental draft, but there have been pro bowl talents like Josh Gordon, Ahmad Brooks and more to come from it. It remains to be seen if there’s pro bowl level talent that will come out of this year’s class, but it’s always a possibility.
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Will the Raiders Target WR Marcus Simms in the Supplemental Draft?
Out of the five players believed to be available, there only seems to be two that could actually get picked. The first one is former West Virginia wide receiver Marcus Simms. Simms is a speedy wideout that entered the supplemental draft after getting denied a transfer request. He also has some baggage after getting charged with two DUIs and admitting to using marijuana. The Raiders could be interested despite the red flags. General Manager Mike Mayock was reportedly at a Simms workout. Attending a workout and using a draft pick on a player are two different things, but the possibility is there. Simms could be a good kick return option for the Raiders. Dwayne Harris played really well for the Raiders in 2018, but it’s always good to have a speedy backup option.
The other player that may get selected is former Washinton State safety Jalen Thompson, who entered the supplemental draft after testing for a banned substance. The Raiders seem pretty set at safety with the addition of Johnathan Abram in the first round so it is unlikely they’ll use a pick on Thompson. Though, if they use a late round pick, Thompson could be a solid depth addition.
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