NFL Supplemental Draft 2015: Final Results and Twitter Reaction

For the first time since 2012, a player was taken in the NFL supplemental draft. The St. Louis Rams made offensive lineman Isaiah Battle a fifth-round pick during Thursday's event. 

NFL vice president of football operations Michael Signora tweeted the Rams' selection of Battle, who played three years of college football at Clemson. 

Battle was the only player to be selected in the supplemental draft, though there were seven players eligible to be taken. 

Player	School
Darrius Caldwell, DE	West Georgia
Eric Eiland, DE	Houston
Sean McQuillan, TE	Connecticut
Kevin Short, DB	Kansas
Dalvon Stuckey, DT	West Georgia
Adrian Wilkins, WR	North Carolina Central

According to Signora, those six players are now unrestricted free agents who are eligible to sign with any team. 

For Battle, according to NFL reporter Ron Clements, becoming a member of the Rams may not have been the most important thing going on in his life at the time:

It would be hard for anyone to have a better week than Battle, as he is getting a chance to live out his dream of playing in the NFL and is welcoming a baby into the world soon. 

As far as what the Rams are getting with the selection, B/R's Matt Miller believes this is a good marriage for both sides:

Miller may have been on to something, as ESPN's Ed Werder noted the Rams intend to be patient with Battle's development:

It's a smart plan for the Rams, who are giving up a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft for this choice. The odds are low that a team finds someone who can crack a rotation at that point anyway, so sacrificing something of minimal value in the future with the hopes Battle can turn into something in two years isn't a bad move. 

Battle does have a long road ahead of him, not just on the field. His maturity has to improve, as Clemson suspended him for one game in 2013 for punching a North Carolina State player during a game. 

Last month, Will Vandervort of TheClemsonInsider.com reported Battle entered the supplemental draft after leaving the Clemson program after being pulled over for speeding and receiving a citation for marijuana possession that "was the third and final strike for the senior left tackle."

As a result of those past issues, B/R's Jason Cole got this assessment on Battle from an NFL general manager:

In today's NFL, where every action on and off the field is under an intense microscope, a player with Battle's baggage is hard to take a gamble on. The Rams have to be hoping he's learned his lessons and will take this opportunity to grow. 

Battle gets the luxury of working with professional coaches and players for the next 12 months to get himself mentally and physically prepared for the NFL grind before stepping onto the field for games in 2016.

If anyone has ever wondered what the process of making a selection in the supplemental draft is like, Werder shared what Rams general manager Les Snead was doing at the time:

Who says the life of a general manager in sports is spent in an office 24/7?

Success stories in the supplemental draft, while not abundant, have happened recently. Josh Gordon, who has had various off-field problems in his career, was taken in the second round by the Cleveland Browns in 2012 and had an All-Pro season in 2013. 

Ahmad Brooks, even though he did it for a different team than the one that drafted him (Cincinnati Bengals, third round in 2006), went to a Pro Bowl in 2013 with the San Francisco 49ers. Cris Carter turned into a Hall of Fame wide receiver after being a fourth-round supplemental draft pick in 1987. 

Battle has a long way to go before reaching the heights those three players have achieved in the NFL, but there is precedent for high-caliber talent to come out of the supplemental draft. The Rams see something in the young man and will give him every chance to reach his full potential.