NFL Supplemental Draft 2012: Why Josh Gordon Is the Best Talent Available

The NFL Supplemental Draft features several talented prospects who weren’t eligible for the standard draft, but wide receiver Josh Gordon has the most upside of any available player. 

Gordon is a 6’3”, 225-pound receiver with incredible athleticism for his size. He caught 42 passes for 714 yards and seven touchdowns in his sophomore year at Baylor, but then his college career took a tumultuous turn.

Baylor head coach Art Giles indefinitely suspended the talented wideout after his sophomore campaign. A marijuana-related arrest was later revealed to be the reason for the punishment, as noted by Yahoo Sports. 

Gordon decided to transfer to Utah, thereby forfeiting his ability to play this past season. Before he ever took the field for the Utes, he declared for the supplemental draft. 

This process provides a way for players who missed the early-entry petition deadline, or were not eligible for April’s draft for any other reasons, to make their way on to an NFL roster. 

Teams submit bids identifying which round they would be willing to select an eligible player. If they are awarded the prospect, the team must forfeit a pick from the same round in the following year’s draft.

According to the same Yahoo Sports article, eight players are eligible for this year’s supplemental draft.

But Gordon is the only one creating any real buzz. ESPN’s Adam Schefter identified the wide receiver as “a rare talent as far as supplemental drafts go.”

Gordon is certainly still a raw prospect with only one real year of college football experience (he had just one catch in his freshman year). But his combination of size and speed is rare among all NFL players, not just ones eligible for the supplemental draft.

The team that submits the winning bid for Gordon will have to take a significant risk. Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post claims that the wideout’s talents may warrant a pick as high as the second or third round. 

None of the other picks in the draft have been rumored to be garnering this type of interest. 

If Gordon lands in a situation that is willing to be patient with him as he matures and polishes his skills as a receiver, this physical specimen could be one of the biggest steals in both drafts.