The REAL deal about Leinart and the draft (semi long)

[k19]

I'm a little confused on why all these reports are comming out about Leinart entering the supplemental draft

(10:00 AM): More Leinart news... Matt Lienart, the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from USC, is considering entering his name in the supplemental draft, according to The New York Post. Leinart, a junior, would have certainly have been selected early in the first round of this years regular draft had he declared. Indeed, he was the favorite to go number one overall. It is unlikely that this development, if it plays out, would change any teams approach to the regular phase since the order for the supplemental draft is based on a weighted lottery similar to that used by the NBA.
February 11

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From what I heard in an interview with Gil Brandt that will never happen, Leinart missed the boat. If I remember correctly he said Leinart would not be eligible for the supplemental draft.

After doing some research I have come to the same conclusion...

The supplemental draft is for athletes who were not eligible for the normal draft or have special circumstances that allow them to apply. Since Leinart was eligible to declare and chose not to he is not eligible for the supplemental draft.

Supplemental drafts got started in 1977 when Al Hunter, a running back from Notre Dame, was declared scholastically ineligible to play college football. Essentially, Hunter had nowhere to play except for the NFL. So instead of waiting until the 1978 NFL Draft, the league chose to have an extra draft just for him.

Since then, numerous players have been available in the supplemental draft for a bevy of reasons. Ultimately, if a player was no longer eligible to play on the college level and missed the deadline for the NFL Draft, he could be picked here.

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Here’s a bit of the guidelines from the 2004 draft fiasco involving Clarett, the guideline should be the same from year to year and I am researching earlier years requirements to verify.........

The NFL established the following procedures for such players seeking to enter the draft:

Any players seeking to enter the draft had to submit a completed Special Eligibility form to the NFL office no later than Monday, March 1. Such players had a 72-hour window after March 1 during which they could withdraw their petition for eligibility.
Players were not permitted to bypass the March 1 deadline in order to seek eligibility for a later supplemental draft, and no supplemental draft will be held to accommodate such an election.
The March 1 deadline for players seeking to enter the draft did not apply to those players who were previously eligible to apply for the draft by Jan. 15, but elected not to apply.

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I'm also hearing people saying that SF would be able to take MW in the regular draft and would be Guaranteed the first shot at Leinart in the suplemental. Even if he did qualify, which in unlikely, that doesn’t guarantee anyone a chance at getting him...........

As for supplemental draft procedures, this is straight from the folks at NFL headquarters who would oversee such a draft: Each club’s draft position is weighted by assigning the weakest club the greatest number of lottery chances and the strongest club the fewest number. Team strength and weakness will be determined by the original order of the first round of the prior to the April draft and before any trades (i.e., the weakest club, which from the 2003 season is the San Diego Chargers, will have its name in the drawing 32 times, the next weakest 31 times, etc., until the Super Bowl winner, which would have its name in once).

There is a three-step drawing process that works in the following order:

1. Teams that won six or fewer games in the prior regular season are placed together in a container and drawn to determine the initial arrangement of places in the selection order

2. The remaining non-playoff teams are placed together in a container and drawn to determine their places following those determined in the first drawing;

3. Playoff teams are placed together in a container and drawn to determine the remaining places in the selection order

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[zagnut]

He could become eligible simply by signing with an agent, flunking out of school, being expelled from school, or being kicked off the team. All Leinart has to do is get himself some special circumstances.

Tony Hollings (RB, Houston?), Mike Wahle (OL, Green Bay), and Jamal Williams (DT, San Diego) all went the Supplemental route within the last several years and were drafted with first day equivalent picks. Their special situations weren't all that unique. Hollings was academically ineligible. Wahle failed a steroids test and was declared ineligible. Williams, I don't remember any special issues.

 

[k19]

Dont think any of those things would change his eligability since he WAS eligable for the regular draft and chose not to apply, see above

The March 1 deadline for players seeking to enter the draft did not apply to those players who were previously eligible to apply for the draft by Jan. 15, but elected not to apply.

 

[joseephuss]

Dont think any of those things would change his eligability since he WAS eligable for the regular draft and chose not to apply, see above

Sounds like the March 1st deadline is only for players not eligible for the regular draft. There may be some other timeline for guys that were eligible, but chose not to enter the regular draft. May be some leeway in the way the sentence is written.

 

[k19]

Sounds like the March 1st deadline is only for players not eligible for the regular draft. There may be some other timeline for guys that were eligible, but chose not to enter the regular draft. May be some leeway in the way the sentence is written.

Exactly. Players who are let into suplemental drafts are ones who were not eligable for the regular draft and have been kicked out of school, academically ineligable, or whatnot as zag mentioned.

With all I have read and heard I dont see any way he gets in before next years draft

 

[zagnut]

Exactly. Players who are let into suplemental drafts are ones who were not eligable for the regular draft and have been kicked out of school, academically ineligable, or whatnot as zag mentioned.

With all I have read and heard I dont see any way he gets in before next years draft

I don't believe the March 1st date you refer to is the deadline for the Supplemental draft. That deadline is usually in late June. In 2003 it was June 26th.

The March 1st date may have been a special, court-ordered exemption due to the initial ruling of the Clarett case, which led to Mike Williams declaring. It is not a usual date on the NFL schedule and, due to the initial ruling being overturned, no longer applies. Those players (sophmores, freshmen, high school players) had to file a special eligibilty form, which is what the paragraph you quoted is referring to.

Matt Leinart can get in by violating NCAA rules enough to have his eligibility revoked, and then filing the paperwork with the NFL.

 

[lkelly]

Matt Leinart can get in by violating NCAA rules enough to have his eligibility revoked, and then filing the paperwork with the NFL.

Which would be an ideal strategy for someone hoping to make a $15 million signing bonus. Try to screw up in the hopes that the league lets you in. Before you know it, you find yourself ineligible for any supplementary draft and suspended for all or part of your senior year at USC.

If he takes the screwball route outlined above, teams would be foolish to waste a lot of money on him. He'd be a certifiable idiot.

 

[zagnut]

Which would be an ideal strategy for someone hoping to make a $15 million signing bonus. Try to screw up in the hopes that the league lets you in. Before you know it, you find yourself ineligible for any supplementary draft and suspended for all or part of your senior year at USC.

If he takes the screwball route outlined above, teams would be foolish to waste a lot of money on him. He'd be a certifiable idiot.

I agree, but signing with an agent would break NCAA rules without really damaging him. There are other things he could do to catch the NCAA's ire. It doesn't take a whole lot. The NCAA declared that Colorado WR ineligible because of his skiing contracts and Olympic training fundraising. Jeremy Bloom?

I don't even think Leinart thinks about leaving seriously. He said something offhand and it's been blown way out of proportion.

 

[joseephuss]

I agree, but signing with an agent would break NCAA rules without really damaging him. There are other things he could do to catch the NCAA's ire. It doesn't take a whole lot. The NCAA declared that Colorado WR ineligible because of his skiing contracts and Olympic training fundraising. Jeremy Bloom?

I don't even think Leinart thinks about leaving seriously. He said something offhand and it's been blown way out of proportion.

Speaking of Bloom, I think Bill will draft him in the 7th round because he is a pretty good return guy.