Janoris Jenkins and the Supplemental Draft

by Danny Kelly on May 3, 2011 11:30 AM PDT

Florida CB Janoris Jenkins was recently dismissed from the football program there and is now looking to either transfer to another school or go pro. If he does decide to enter the NFL, teams can select him in the Supplemental Draft. The Supplemental Draft is in place to accomidate players that either missed the official filing deadline to declare eligibility for the regular Draft, or for players like Jenkins that run into issues with their teams or for other reasons, and want to go pro. The way it works: teams place a 'bid' on players that they want - the bid is represented by the value of a draft pick. Whichever team places the highest bid on a player gets their rights, but then must forfeit that pick in next years draft.

What is Jenkins worth? Before he decided to return to Florida for another year, he was actually in the 1st Round discussion. He's a shutdown, All-SEC cornerback that has had success against some of the top players in college football. Rob Staton is very high on Jenkins and ranked him behind only Patrick Peterson and Jimmy Smith at cornerback. I think Rob has a very good eye for talent and tend to trust his scouting so the idea that Jenkins could now be available is pretty intriguing.

Of course, you have to weigh your options. The Seahawks did just select two corners in this year's draft in Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell, and used another pick on Walter Thurmond last year. They still have Marcus Trufant and recently signed Brandon Browner to a futures deal. After all this, do they want to give up a potentially high draft pick next season for the rights to Janoris Jenkins?

At 5'11 185 he's about the size of Walter Thurmond and possesses elite coverage ability. He's aggressive, competitive, and has the potential to be a true shutdown at the NFL level down the road. If he fits into Pete Carroll's scheme as well as he would appear to, it might be worth it. Sherman, Maxwell, Browner, and company are good prospects but are by no means a shoe-in to succeed in the NFL. Jenkins has through the roof potential but has off-field and character concerns which may dissuade the Hawks from offering much. They passed on Jimmy Smith because of these off-field concerns so it stands to reason they'd do the same with Jenkins.

So what would be his value? For me, I'd say place a bid at the 3rd or 4th round range and hope to get him. If you spend anything higher on him you're running the risk of giving up a very early 1st or 2nd round pick in next years draft (obviously depending on how much the Seahawks compete in 2011).

What would you say?

Poll

Would you put in a bid for Jenkins and at what level?

1st round bid

39 votes

2nd round bid

113 votes

3rd round bid

236 votes

4th round bid

164 votes

Nothing higher than a 5th

52 votes

No bid - character concerns too great.

31 votes

635 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

If we pick him at all, a drafted CB will get cut.

Trufant & Jennings, one or both, could be released. Doubt it, but could. Or one could be released and one of the other or Thurmond could get hurt before the roster is trimmed down and we keep them.

But otherwise:

Trufant
Jennings
Thurmond
Roy Lewis
Kennard Cox
Brandon Browner
Marcus Brown
Josh Pinkard
Byron Maxwell
Richard Sherman

Not even mentioning that there’s an additional numbers game at safety. Brown & Pinkard are certain cuts, and likely Cox as well. That still doesn’t guarantee Maxwell stays on the roster. Practice squad and develop, sure. And taking Jenkins would pretty much put the nail in Jennings’ coffin. But would it also mean risking Cock Sure’s transition to the practice squad?

Head of catering.

by jacobstevens on May 3, 2011 11:48 AM PDT reply actions

I think most likely Trufant would get cut if he was signed. Also Jennings is not under contract and I doubt he'll be brought back.

Trufant could get cut anyway

by hawksfan1401 on May 3, 2011 12:02 PM PDT up reply actions

Oh thanks for the correction. Forgot Jennings is FA.

Head of catering.

by jacobstevens on May 3, 2011 12:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Kennard Cox could be the odd man out. Smaller, less physical.

by Danny Kelly on May 3, 2011 12:31 PM PDT up reply actions

I wouldn't shed a tear over having to cut any of them

Except maybe Thurmond. I’ve had about enough of players who are described as “intriguing” and could go for a few more who are just plain “good.”

by Suburban Shocker on May 3, 2011 2:23 PM PDT up reply actions

None of the DBs we drafted will be good right away

At least, it’s very unlikely they will be. They’re all projects.

by Thomas Beekers on May 3, 2011 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions

And that's where Jenkins enters the conversation (maybe)

If Jenkins is that good (emphasis on “if”; I’m no scout) then it won’t bother me if they have to cut Byron Maxwell, the intriguing 5th round pick with tools but not much college production; or Brandon Browner, the intriguing CFL star (like last year’s intriguing DE Ricky Foley); or Richard Sherman, the intriguing former wide receiver; or Kennard Cox, the… well, actually, he’s not all that intriguing.

Higher draft choices than 5th rounders have been cut before. Sunk costs and all that. We’ll get over it.

by Suburban Shocker on May 3, 2011 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions

So you're cool with sunk cost ahead of time?

Proactive. Burning a 2012 pick now with full knowledge that it would directly lead to a draft pick getting cut before the season starts just somehow comes across as a bit of a sloppy approach to personnel management. But maybe that’s just me.

Head of catering.

by jacobstevens on May 3, 2011 4:37 PM PDT up reply actions

Sunk cost means the cost of the past 5th-round pick.

And of course there is no “full knowledge that it would directly lead to a draft pick getting cut before the season starts.” One or both could still make the team.

And of course, once again, they’re 5th-round picks. The kind of picks that teams dump off to move from the high-3rd to the mid-3rd if they really like a player. If that’s the cost and the player is worth it, it’s not a big deal.

So, yeah, it’s just you.

by Suburban Shocker on May 3, 2011 4:42 PM PDT up reply actions

I meant from the low-3rd to the mid-3rd

by Suburban Shocker on May 3, 2011 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions

Well Maxwell was drafted as a gunner, not so much as a DB.

I would be pretty doubtful that we take another DB and then all of these rookies make the active roster.

But you make this contingent on Jenkins being good, expressing impatience with intriguing prospects. How will we know who is good after only training camp and pre-season their rookie years?

I do have full expectation that Browner will be long gone before the final cuts, or at the very least will be a part of the final cuts, so that cushions the situation.

Head of catering.

by jacobstevens on May 3, 2011 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't think this year's players are prime candidates for cutting

Practice squad? Anyway, I’d think the left-overs from last year’s roster churn would be up first

by Thomas Beekers on May 3, 2011 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Totally agree, Jacob.

I’d like to see how some of the players we have already spent picks on will turn out.

Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water. The other third is covered by Earl Thomas.

by Bobby Cink on May 3, 2011 6:00 PM PDT up reply actions

Jenkins is tempting

I put him at a 3rd-round but I’d almost assume some team will fall in love and risk a higher pick.

We did invest a bunch of picks but they’re all 3rd-day picks. I’m not sure any of them represent the value that should make you turn up your nose at someone like Jenkins (or even some of the FA CBs out there). Honestly, I like Thurmond and Dick Sure, but they’re both fairly low-capital unsure bets.

That’s also the reasons I wouldn’t like to see us part with Trufant right away. I like young teams but a secondary filled only with rookies and sophomores is a bad, bad idea. For the same reason I’d vaguely like to have Milloy back.

Can you tell? I want to have even more DBs on our roster than PC does.

by Thomas Beekers on May 3, 2011 2:31 PM PDT reply actions

I'd tend to agree with you.

Too many rookies can mean low discipline. How many rookie/sophomores did the Texans employ in their secondary last year? Wouldn’t surprise me to hear it was over half, they were awful..

by CurryInAHurry59 on May 3, 2011 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions

Ranking of draft picks

I would assume that when teams put in bids, they assume the same draft order as this year, right? That is, if the Seahawks bid a third rounder, it’s assumed to be #25 in the third round, and they’d be outbid if (say) the Bucs bid their third rounder, assumed to be #20. Or, alternatively, might they assume a draft order based on 2011 records?

If the former, then it presents something of a conundrum for a team like the Seahawks. If they’re serious about the guy, they’ll probably have to go higher than a third rounder, because most of the teams willing to bid a third rounder will come in ahead of them. So they might be forced to bid a second rounder — but that might prove especially costly if the team doesn’t win the division again. It’s like being at an auction where the high bid is at $1,000, and you have to bid $1,500 just to be considered, even if the item is only worth $1,100 to you. You’re probably not getting that prize.

by Suburban Shocker on May 3, 2011 2:55 PM PDT reply actions

Im not sure, but I think it goes by draft slot

So you would be right that we would probably have to put in a 2nd round offer.

I would love to get him for a 3rd and cut trufant (overrated, past his prime, not good anymore) but im sure multiple teams will make a 3rd round offer and we wont get him.

by briwas101 on May 3, 2011 4:31 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

I'd throw out a 4th or 5th rounder, just as a feeler

but with no real expectation of getting him. There’s always the chance that everyone else will think the same thing and we come away with a bargain. If so, great. If not, no worries.

Personally, I think there are some interesting talents in the undrafted pool that we can take a look at before we start dealing away picks that we’ll want for next year, especially in a position where we’ve already drafted some fliers. Going after someone who’d have gone much earlier would basically put those picks to waste. CB is not a position I’d want to spend huge resources at this point shoring up; we have a good amount of depth there already. Now, if there were an awesome nose tackle or the like, or if Luck decided to skip his senior year after all, that might be something else. I’d definitely spend a 3rd or 4th round pick on Luck.

by Clendy on May 3, 2011 4:29 PM PDT reply actions