It remains to be seen if any of the four players available in Thursday's supplemental draft will be selected, but the odds are stacked against any of them developing into NFL stars.
That being said, some supplemental picks have overcome the odds in the past. In fact, one Pro Football Hall of Famer began his career as a supplemental pick -- and a fourth-rounder, at that.
There have been 42 supplemental picks in history, with eight of them first-rounders. Josh Gordon, Terrelle Pryor and Josh Brent are recent supplemental picks.
Here is a look at the eight best supplemental picks of all time, an "Elite Eight" if you will. (Interestingly, just three first-rounders show up on this list. The failed first-rounders: linebacker Brian Bosworth and quarterbacks Steve Walsh, Dave Brown, Dave Wilson and Timm Rosenbach.)
8. DE Darren Mickell, 1992
Particulars: 2nd round, Kansas City Chiefs, out of Florida.
Buzz: He flashed some pass-rush ability in his nine-year career; he was a four-year starter, with Kansas City, New Orleans and San Diego.
7. RB Bobby Humphrey, 1989
Particulars: 1st round, Denver Broncos, out of Alabama.
Buzz: He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in his first two years with Denver. He also was a good receiver out of the backfield. His career got off track when he held out for more money in 1991, and he played the final two seasons of his career in Miami.
6. LB Ahmad Brooks, 2006
Particulars: 3rd round, Cincinnati Bengals, out of Virginia.
Buzz: His career blossomed once he got to San Francisco after two seasons with the Bengals. He has been a full-time starter in each of the past three seasons and has 156 tackles and 22 sacks in that span. He was a Pro Bowler last season, when he had 60 tackles and 8.5 sacks for the 49ers.
5. OT Mike Wahle, 1998
Particulars: 2nd round, Green Bay Packers, out of Navy.
Buzz: He ended up playing 11 seasons as a guard and started for nine of them, with Green Bay, Carolina and Seattle. He was a Pro Bowler in 2005 in his first season with the Panthers.
4. WR Rob Moore, 1990
Particulars: 1st round, New York Jets, out of Syracuse.
Buzz: Moore was a steady performer for the Jets and then for Arizona. His best season came in 1997 with the Cardinals, when he had 97 receptions, a league-leading 1,584 yards and eight TD catches; he was an All-Pro selection that season. He finished his 10-year career -- all as a starter -- with 628 receptions for 9,368 yards and 49 TDs. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, in '94 with the Jets and in '97.
3. QB Bernie Kosar, 1985
Particulars: 1st round, Cleveland Browns, out of Miami (Fla.).
Buzz: Kosar was a Cleveland native who had starred in college for the Hurricanes. He started for seven and a half seasons with the Browns before finishing up his career in Dallas and Miami. He threw for 23,301 yards and 124 TDs in his career. In 1986, his second year in the league, he threw for 3,854 yards and 17 touchdowns as the Browns finished 12-4. He made the Pro Bowl once and twice finished in the top five in the league in passing yards.
2. DT Jamal Williams, 1998
Particulars: 2nd round, San Diego Chargers, out of Oklahoma State.
Buzz: Williams was one of the NFL's top interior defenders for a decade. He anchored the middle of the Chargers' line at about 350 pounds and was stout against the run. He played his final season for Denver in 2010, starting all 16 games. He was an All-Pro in 2005 and '06 and was a three-time Pro Bowler.
1. WR Cris Carter, 1987
Particulars: 4th round, Philadelphia Eagles, out of Ohio State.
Buzz: He's the only supplemental draft pick to end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played three seasons with the Eagles, then saw his career take off when he signed with Minnesota after the 1989 season. He played 12 seasons with the Vikings and reached 1,000 receiving yards eight times; he had at least 871 yards in two more seasons. He also had a five-season stretch with double-digit TD receptions each year and had 65 TD catches in that span (1995-99). He finished his career with 1,101 receptions (fourth-most in NFL history), 13,899 yards (ninth) and 131 TD receptions (eighth). He was an eight-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro pick. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
