The NFL's supplemental draft kicks off this afternoon, and there are eight players and some strong talent within.
Will the Ravens get involved?
Here's the list of eligible players, who are all entering the draft early because of extenuating circumstances such as suspensions or academic ineligibility:
- CB Quaylon Ewing-Burton, Boise State
- WR Josh Gordon, Baylor
- RB Adam Harris, Syracuse
- OT Adrian Haughton, Iowa State
- ILB Larry Lumpkin, Carson-Newman
- DE Montez Robinson, Georgia
- WR Houston Tuminello, McMurray
- RB Ed Wesley, TCU
Baltimore has only made one supplemental draft pick in team history, taking tackle Jared Gaither in 2007. Last year, the Ravens signed defensive end Michael McAdoo as a free agent after he was not selected in the supplemental draft.
This year's prize is Gordon, a 6-foot-3 wideout who ran a 4.52-second, 40-yard dash at his workout Tuesday. He was very productive before being dismissed from the team last August for reportedly failing a drug test because of marijuana use. Gordon hauled in 42 passes for 714 yards and seven touchdowns (17 yards per catch) from Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III in 2010.
Pundits have not named the Ravens, who have a great deal of depth at wideout, as one of the teams in the running for Gordon. He is expected to be taken with a third-round pick, or possibly even second, with Cleveland, Miami and St. Louis as prime landing spots.
Wesley is another possible draftee after running for 726 yards and six touchdowns last season, but Baltimore already has three young running backs competing behind Ray Rice in third-round pick Bernard Pierce, and second-year players Anthony Allen and Damien Berry.
Baltimore has reportedly inquired about Lumpkin, who could be a late pick or undrafted free-agent signing. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder played his first two seasons at Alabama A&M before transferring to Carson-Newman College, a small Division II school in Tennessee.
Lumpkin was a standout player (96 tackles, including 10 for loss), but was ruled ineligible to play this season.
"Larry was a playmaker for us, but he had a lot of issues," said A&M Inside Linebackers Coach Jay, according to The Huntsville Times. "He was constantly late for meetings and he would miss practice at least one day a week."
Teams can make a selection by submitting a bid. A bid is an email to the league office with the round in which they would like to select the player. The team that submits the highest bid is awarded the player.
If there are multiple bids in the same round for a player, the league applies a weighted lottery system, which is conducted just before the draft. The better a team's 2011 record, the fewer chances in the lottery they have. The worse, the more they will have."
