It’s the time of year again when teams can pick up players in the Supplemental Draft. But should the Minnesota Vikings go after any the of the prospects?
It seems like about this time every year that there is some hype surrounding a prospect or two in the NFL’s Supplemental Draft and the Minnesota Vikings decide not to use one of their future draft picks to select one of the prospects.
As of the publishing of this article, four collegiate players are reported to have thrown their hat into the ring for a chance to be selected during the Supplemental Draft this season, and at least one of the prospects has a good chance of landing with a team.
Let’s take a look at the four players the Minnesota Vikings will have a chance to bid on during the Supplemental Draft on July 10, 2019 with some information from NJ.com:
- Jalen Thompson, S – Washington State: It would be a bit surprising to see Thompson go undrafted. The six-foot tall defensive back was a candidate to play during the Senior Bowl and racked up 190 tackles with 17 pass breakups and six interceptions in college. (per Ian Rappoport on Twitter)
- Marcus Simms, WR – West Virginia: Standing six-foot tall and weighing 194 pounds, Simms played college ball for three seasons where he accumulated 87 catches for 1,457 yards and eight touchdowns. He also has value as a return man, bringing 41 kickoffs out for 992 yards and adding 23 punt returns for 157 more. (per Tony Pauline on Twitter)
- Shyheim Cullen, LB – Syracuse: The only defensive player to declare for the Supplemental Draft, Cullen will be an interesting player to follow. Struggling to keep his grades up, he only played in 22 games in the NCAA where he had 43 total tackles, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and one sack. (per Cullen himself on Twitter)
- Devonaire Clarington, TE – Northland Community College: Attending school in Minnesota, Clarington is the closest geographically to the Vikings, so there is a chance the team has already evaluated his play. However, he also committed to the University of Texas and played at Blinn Junior College where he caught 48 catches for 916 yards and 11 scores. (per Howard Balzer on Twitter)
Should the Vikings go after any of these players?
There is some talent in this year’s Supplemental Draft, but the only player who is likely to draw a lot of interest should be Jalen Thompson.
Minnesota’s lack of depth at safety might be a concern for the team. However, the franchise has recently used a draft selection on Marcus Epps and have gone out in free agency to grab some competition at the position.
For that reason alone, Minnesota likely won’t be as aggressive in their pursuit of Thompson as other NFL franchises will be, meaning that even if the team does put in a claim, they will be unlikely to land him.
Of course, there is still time for more players to declare for the Supplemental Draft before July 10, 2019, but whether or not those individuals will draw a lot of interest from teams like the Minnesota Vikings will have to be seen.