NFL supplemental draft cannot help Chiefs cornerback needs in 2018

While it might be a nice play for future depth and talent, the NFL supplemental draft class is not the place to solve the Chiefs cornerback concerns in the present.

This week, the NFL is much ado about, well… I don’t want to say nothing.

Let’s be clear: the prospects eligible for this year’s NFL supplemental draft are all talented and some of them are even very much so. In a typical draft class, it’s likely that two of them—defensive backs Sam Beal and Adonis Alexander—would have heard their names called, at least, among the lot of selected prospects in a regular NFL Draft haul.

But let’s also be clear about something else: a period that’s typically reserved for vacations for all—executives to players to analysts—is abuzz with pre-draft hype. That’s our way of saying that both Beal and Alexander are big fish in a very small pond. They’re actual news items—come here to see real, live player acquisitions!—in mid-July. It’s an NFL writer’s dream come true.

Let’s make this even clearer: do not get too excited about any of these prospects, at least when it comes to their immediate potential.

It’s very possible that Beal or Alexander (or even safety Brandon Bryant) will show great potential and become an impact presence in the secondary moving forward. The hype is there, after all, for a reason. A franchise fan base should be expected at the future potential of Beal, at least, and should trust their front office if they make any move at all for one of the eligible players. But not a single team is likely looking at a draft-ready player and placing their trust in him for the 2018 season.

THE PHYSICAL SIDE

First of all, each and every one of these players has been focused on one thing: looking good in drills without pads. Sam Beal, for example, is a talented cornerback from Western Michigan who was projected as a likely Day 2 pick (e.g. second or third round) if he’d waited/lasted until the 2019 NFL Draft. But given that his pre-draft season started several months after every other rookie, Beal will find his productivity pushed back the same amount of time.

Running a fast 40-yard dash means being lean and light. Beal ran the 40-yard dash in front of all 32 teams—which means the Chiefs had at least one representative there—at his pro day and clocked in at 4.47 seconds. That’s a very nice time, but understand that Beal had also lost 10 pounds from his playing weight in the MAC. The reason he worked hard to lose all that weight was to put up strong pro day numbers. Now he must work very hard just to put on the weight he lost—and even that was under what the Chiefs would likely want.

Let’s take a quick look at the following:

• Jordan Sterns, 5’11, 198 lbs.
• Arrion Springs, 6’0, 205 lbs.
• Kendall Fuller, 5’11, 198 lbs.
• David Amerson, 6’1, 205 lbs.
• Leon McQuay, 6’1, 195 lbs.
• Keith Reaser, 6’0, 190 lbs.
• Steven Nelson, 5’11, 194 lbs.
• Tremon Smith, 6’0, 190 lbs.
• Ashton Lampkin, 6’0, 189 lbs.
• Will Redmond, 6’0, 186 lbs.
• Makinton Dorleant, 5’11, 185 lbs.

The average cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs weighs 194 pounds. That’s 16 pounds more than the slight 178 that Beal weighed at his pro day. And gaining it back isn’t as simple as just choosing to eat an extra meal per day or adding some calories. Teams have significant plans in place for their players to help them to achieve a productive bulk to get them into game shape and these plans are not achieved overnight.

THE MENTAL SIDE

Every rookie in the NFL today started the month of May with a playbook in hand. Almost immediately they were flown into their new respective homes where they were introduced via whirlwind to a brand new coaching staff, training staff and teammates. They heard lectures about rules and behavior, given advice on fame and finance and, most importantly, started to put together what it means to be a pro football player on the field and in the film room—day after day after day after day.

These players are now months ahead of the competition coming in from the supplemental draft. Even if someone like Alexander or Beal was known as a quick study, they’ve already rookie minicamp, orientation, offseason training activities and mandatory minicamp. They’ll be learning their coaches names as training camp gets underway.

In short, supplemental draft prospects endure a steep learning curve when it comes to making an NFL team, which is why it’s rare for not only any player to get taken but to make any immediate sort of impact.

There’s good reason to be concerned about the state of things, present and future, at cornerback for the Chiefs. The selection of Beal or Alexander could certainly help the latter, but expecting much of anything in 2018 is likely a lost cause. That’s not a knock against the player at all. It’s just the reality of the timing and focus of supplemental draft prospects.

Next: Why the Chiefs *need* to take a CB in the supplemental draft

If Brett Veach is going to make a move to bolster the Chiefs secondary for 2018, it will not come on July 11 when the supplemental draft takes place. If Veach does choose a prospect, it will be with the future in mind knowing anything impact in the present is just the cherry on top.