Falcons pass on supplemental draft players

The tradition of ignoring supplemental draft players continues.

The Falcons haven’t selected a supplemental daft player since 1984. That’s when the first Terminator came out. It’s been awhile.

Was that going to change in 2019?

The Falcons were at Washington State safety Jalen Thompson’s workout, along with 25 other teams. The Falcons are notable shallow at safety with Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen coming off injury, they put Thompson through position drills, and a lot of his measurables indicate indicate he could be a Dan Quinn player.

To be fair, there’s not a lot of success around supplemental players.

Recently, the Los Angeles Rams threw away a fifth round pick on Isaiah Battle. The Cleveland Browns famously dropped a second round pick on Josh Gordon. The Chicago Bears took big back Harvey Unga in the 7th round way back in 2010. He didn’t last too long in the pros. Perhaps the only notable remaining players were Jared Gaither and Paul Oliver way back in 2007. Both had decent but flawed careers.

It is clear why most teams typically pass on these players. Only a few are NFL caliber, and obviously have eligibility issues with the NCAA.

The Falcons can still sign supplemental draft players now that they are free agents. Players like linebacker Shyheim Cullen, wide receiver Marcus Simms, and defensive back Bryant Perry could make sense on non-guaranteed deals, but none of them are guaranteed to stick on the final 53. Tight end Devonair Clarington could crack a roster with less tight end depth, so it is unlikely he would sign with the Falcons.

It is clear that Thompson was the top player looking for a new home today. He went to the Arizona Cardinals in round 5. If the Falcons wanted him, they clearly didn’t want him too bad. We will update if the Falcons sign any free agents from the supplemental draft.

Update: Marcus Simms is heading to Jacksonville.