Rival Report 7/14: Anyone in Supplemental Draft worth a pick?

By Marcus Allen Krause@krause_marcus Jul 14, 2016, 9:43am PDT

As Levi Damien pointed out this morning the NFL's supplemental draft is today at 10am. it is a secondary draft for players whose circumstances have changed in some way since the NFL Draft happened. Sometimes the supplemental draft goes without anybody getting picked, and other times teams decide to use picks from next year's draft to select players now. So, are any of them worth drafting?

This year's supplemental draft features 6 eligible players; Ra'Zahn Howard (DT from Purdue), Rashaun Simonise (WR from Calgary), Tee Shepard (CB from Ole Miss), Cameron Walton (DE from Concordia), Jalen Overstreet (RB from Sam Houston State), and Eddie D'Antuono (Long Snapper from Virginia Tech). Are any of these players worth a team giving up a draft pick from the 2017 NFL Draft?

The name that was getting the most traction is Ra'Zahn Howard from Purdue. The 6-2, 325lb defensive tackle qualified for the supplemental draft after being deemed academically ineligible at Purdue. His stock was actually higher before he had a sub-par workout for NFL scouts where he reportedly appeared gassed too easily at the workout. Still, his size and curiosity over his lack of tape after he was forced to miss playing time due to his academic situation could have some team use a pick on him.

Probably the most interesting of these prospects is the Canadian receiver from Calgary University though, Rashaun Simonise, who entered the Supplemental draft after being ruled academically ineligible. There isn't as much known about him due to his playing days being from our neighbors to the north instead of in the US but he has the size at 6'5 Simonise had 51 receptions for 1,079 yards and 11 touchdowns in just eight games.

Simonise held a pro day this week, and representatives from Arizona, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, the New York Jets and Washington were in attendance, according to the Winnipeg Free Press. There he ran his 40-yard dash between 4.42 and 4.52 seconds.

His highlight reel definitely makes you wonder if he could develop into an NFL worthy player. Simonise also was deemed academically ineligible for why he qualified for the supplemental draft.

Tee Shepard from Ole Miss is the player that Raiders fans should probably pay the most attention to. The Raiders have a lot of competition right now in the secondary but Tee Shepard is a player with a lot of physical talent. The knock on Shepard is that he is hearing impaired, and disagreements about his position because of his hearing led to his leaving Ole Miss. He was expected to transfer to Miami of Ohio University but instead has joined this year's supplemental draft.

UPDATE: No team made a selection in the Supplemental draft. All six draft eligible players are now free agents and can sign with any club.

2016 NFL supplemental draft: Here are the prospects drawing interest - CBSSports.com
It's time to check out the six eligible prospects for the 'second-chance' draft, including an extended look at the three likeliest to join Cris Carter, Bernie Kosar and Brian Bosworth as supplemental draft picks

Are any of the 6 players in the 2016 NFL Supplemental Draft worth a pick? - SBNation.com
A Purdue defensive tackle is the biggest name in this year's special eligibility draft, but a Canadian wide receiver might be the most intriguing option.

NFL Supplemental Draft 2016: Date, time, format, rules and eligible players - SBNation.com
There are six eligible players for this year's NFL Supplemental Draft. Here's what you need to know before the event on Thursday.