New Orleans Saints Supplemental Draft History

The NFL Supplemental Draft is quickly becoming a footnote in the league's history. However, the event did provide New Orleans with a couple notable players in their franchise history.

Bob Rose | Jul 1, 2021

NFL reporter Tom Pelissero confirmed on Tuesday that the NFL would not hold a supplemental draft this season. It is the second straight year that the league has canceled the event.

Normally held in July prior to the start of NFL training camps, the supplemental draft was used for players who were not eligible for the league's standard draft.

If a team selected a player in the supplemental draft, they would forfeit their pick in the following year's draft corresponding to the round that the supplemental selection was chosen.

It was rare that an NFL team picked a player in any round, and the event has been mostly irrelevant in recent years. However, there have been a handful of players who went on to have successful careers after entering the NFL as supplemental picks.

QB - Bernie Kosar (1985, Browns)
WR -Chris Carter (1987, Eagles)*
RB - Bobby Humphrey (1989, Broncos)
WR - Rob Moore (1990, Jets)
DT - Jamal Williams (1998, Chargers)
LB - Ahmad Brooks (2006, Bengals)
WR - Terrelle Pryor (2011, Raiders)
WR - Josh Gordon (2012, Browns)

*= NFL Hall of Famer

While the supplemental draft has not been used often by the New Orleans Saints in their franchise history, they have had some success with the event.

Here is a list of players that the Saints have selected in the NFL Supplemental Draft.

1981 - DAVE WILSON, QUARTERBACK

Wilson was a highly regarded quarterback out of the University of Illinois. He had good size (6’3 and 206-Lbs.) and the strong arm to hit all the throws in college.

The Saints selected Wilson with the first overall selection in the 1981 Supplemental Draft. He was one of only two players picked in the event that year.

Wilson came to a team that had some offensive weapons, including rookie RB George Rogers, who led the NFL in rushing in 1981. Unfortunately, they were never able to adequately protect veteran QB Archie Manning. The same would be true when Wilson was behind center.

Manning was traded to the Houston Oilers early in the 1982 season. However, Wilson could not win the job from veteran acquisition Ken Stabler, a future Hall of Famer but a player well past his prime.

Wilson was never able to capitalize on the promise that made him a first-round choice. He played seven seasons in New Orleans but started only 31 games and compiled a 12-19 record. His best season was in 1986, when he was 6-7 as a starter and threw for 2,353 yards with 10 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Wilson completed just 53% of his career pass attempts. He compiled 6,987 passing yards and threw for 36 touchdowns and 55 interceptions.

1984 - VAUGHAN JOHNSON, LINEBACKER

Several teams took advantage of a special NFL Supplemental Draft in 1984 that included players from the Canadian Football League and expansion USFL.

The Saints used the number 15 choice of the first-round of the Supplemental Draft to select former N.C. State linebacker Vaughan Johnson.

Johnson would play two years for the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL. When the league folded in 1986, he joined the Saints, who owned his rights.

Johnson would join veteran LB Rickey Jackson, fellow USFL refugee Sam Mills and 1986 third-round draft pick Pat Swilling to form the greatest linebacking unit in NFL history.

The Dome Patrol was an intimidating force that sent shivers of fear through offensive players for eight seasons. Jackson, Swilling, Mills, and Johnson fueled one of the NFL's best defenses and led the team to four playoff appearances in six seasons.

Vaughan Johnson changed the momentum of games with his bone jarring hits. The most under appreciated member of The Dome Patrol, Johnson earned four Pro Bowl bids. He led the team in tackles three times and recorded at least 80 tackles in six different seasons.

In eight years with the Saints, Johnson had 12 sacks, 4 interceptions, and forced or recovered 16 fumbles. He was elected into the franchise Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

1984 - MEL GRAY, KICK RETURNER

The Saints took a chance on a diminutive RB/WR named Mel Gray from Purdue with their second-round choice in the 1984 Supplemental Draft.

Gray jumped to the USFL, where he was a wide receiver for a Los Angeles Express team led by future Hall of Fame QB Steve Young. He’d finally join New Orleans when the USFL folded in 1986.

Most NFL historians put Gray near the top of the list among the NFL's greatest kick returners. Most of his recognition came during six seasons with the Detroit Lions, when Gray made four Pro Bowls and was voted to NFL The All-Decade Team of the 1990s.

During his time with the Saints, from 1986 to 1988, Gray saw time as a wide receiver, running back, and defensive back. He totaled 67 yards and a touchdown on 14 rushing attempts and caught 8 passes for 75 yards. It was Gray's explosive ability as a kick returner that made him special.

Gray averaged 27.9 yards per kickoff return for New Orleans in 1986, ranking second in the NFL and scoring a touchdown on a league-best 101-yard return. He led the NFL by averaging 14.7 yards per punt return in 1987 and finished second with a 12.2 average in 1988. He ranks first in New Orleans franchise history with a 13.4 average per punt return.

Gray ranks fourth in NFL history with a combined 13,003 combined kick and punt return yards. He’s also in the top-five in league history in kickoff return touchdowns, combined kick and punt returns, and kick return yardage.

1984 - STEVE BEARDEN, LINEBACKER

New Orleans also used a third-round selection in the 1984 Supplemental Draft on Bearden, a linebacker from Vanderbilt. Bearden also defected to the USFL, where he played two seasons for the Memphis Showboats.

Upon the folding of the USFL in 1986, Bearden failed to land a spot on an NFL roster.

The supplemental draft seems likely to become a footnote in NFL history. Most teams rarely used the event, but it still managed to provide some notable players in league history.

Follow Bob Rose on Facebook or on Twitter @bobbyr2613.

1981 - DAVE WILSON, QUARTERBACK

1984 - VAUGHAN JOHNSON, LINEBACKER

1984 - MEL GRAY, KICK RETURNER

1984 - STEVE BEARDEN, LINEBACKER

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