By PFW staff
July 3, 2008

Updated at 5:25 p.m. EDT, July 7

The NFL’s annual supplemental draft, which had been scheduled for July 10, has been canceled because no underclassman submitted an application before the deadline. Teams were notified Wednesday in a memo from commissioner Roger Goodell.

Out of 11 players who were declared eligible for last year’s supplemental draft, two were chosen — CB Paul Oliver by the Chargers in the fourth round and OT Jared Gaither by the Ravens in the fifth round. Oliver was inactive for all 16 Chargers regular-season games in 2007, but Gaither played in six and started two for the Ravens.

Fifty-three underclassmen were granted eligibility for the April draft, not including an additional 17 whom the NFL did not acknowledge as legitimate prospects. That number far exceeded the 40 underclassmen who declared early in 2007, perhaps depleting the group of athletes who potentially could have opted for the supplemental draft. Only 39 of this year’s 70 underclassmen wound up being drafted.

“These players are learning, after so many foolishly came out and most of them did not even get drafted, they should stay in school. A lot of underclassmen were forced to go play in the Arena League.”

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