The Sports Xchange

The NFL announced Thursday the names of seven players granted special eligibility for the supplemental draft, scheduled for next Thursday.

The players are Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle, West Georgia edge rusher Darrius Caldwell, Houston defensive end Eric Eiland, Connecticut tight end Sean McQuillan, Kansas defensive back Kevin Short, West Georgia defensive tackle Dalvon Stuckey and North Carolina Central wideout and returner Adrian Wilkins.

Of the seven, only Battle is viewed as a surefire selection.

He would be the first player selected in the supplemental draft since the Cleveland Browns invested a second-round pick in wide receiver Josh Gordon in 2012.

The 6-foot-7, 290-pound left tackle was characterized by one high-ranking scout as a “raw but obvious talent” and could earn interest as high as the middle rounds.

Battle played in 27 games for the Tigers over the past three seasons, starting 11 of 12 games a year ago and 16 contests overall.

Before investing a draft pick, teams will, of course, want to investigate Battle closely. In a statement on Clemson’s official athletic website, Battle cited family obligations as a reason for his pursuing the NFL early. Battle also has failed several drug tests at Clemson, NFLDraftScout.com has learned.

Physically, however, Battle’s combination of height, arm length and easy mobility will certainly intrigue the NFL. He is still pretty raw, showing only average functional strength at this time and too often bending at the waist rather than at the knees, which leaves him vulnerable to the bull rush and counters back to the inside.

His size and athleticism, however, could make him a match for a zone-blocking team. Given the season-ending ACL tear suffered this spring by left tackle Ryan Clady, the Denver Broncos could be interested. The Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks are also thought to be potentially interested.

Caldwell could also draw late interest.

The 6-foot-5, 238-pounder dominated the Gulf South Conference last season — his first at that level — to the tune of 18.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. He initially signed with Illinois, where he recorded 17 tackles, including five for loss and 2.5 sacks, in 2012 after redshirting a year earlier.

Academic issues forced him out of the Big Ten in 2013, however, and Caldwell landed at Pearl City Community College. Despite posting just 12 tackles and four tackles for loss there, he earned an offer from Arizona State and was hyped as a possible replacement at Devil-backer for Carl Bradford, a 2014 fourth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers. Academics once again pushed Caldwell out, however, and he ultimately wound up at West Georgia, where he recorded 69 tackles and led the conference in sacks.

Caldwell’s former teammate, Stuckey, offers intriguing size at 6 feet 4 and 300 pounds and flashed playmaking ability last year, recording 40 tackles, including nine for loss, four sacks and three forced fumbles.

The duo worked out for representatives of 14 teams at a Pro Day at West Georgia on Thursday. According to Aaron Wilson of National Football Post, those clubs were the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and the Washington Redskins.

Eiland started 18 games at defensive end the past two years at Houston; but, at 6 feet 2, 225 pounds, he projects better as an outside linebacker in the NFL. Eiland will turn 27 in September; he spent four years pursuing baseball after being drafted in the second round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007. Last year, Eiland recorded 44 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and half a sack, for the Cougars.

McQuillan started 19 games over his collegiate career, hauling in 41 passes for 354 yards and two scores. The tape shows that McQuillan has soft hands but only average athleticism and size (listed at 6-3 and 247 pounds).

Short signed with Kansas as a highly touted JUCO prospect but was unable to qualify academically and left the team last fall. Listed at 6-2 and 185 pounds, Short set the Fort Scott Community College record with 10 interceptions over two seasons, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

Size may keep the 5-8, 175-pound Wilkins from being drafted, but he’s the most dynamic athlete of the bunch. Wilkins led the Eagles in receptions each of the past two seasons, combining for 87 catches for 967 yards and five scores. Teams looking for help at returner will be intrigued by Wilkins, who scored five touchdowns on returns (three on kicks, two on punts) in 2013.

The supplemental draft is very different than the traditional draft held each spring. The supplemental draft is carried out via e-mail among teams, and there is a limited number of prospects available. In fact, in the 38-year history of the supplemental draft, just 42 players have been selected — Gordon, quarterback Bernie Kosar (Cleveland, 1985), wide receiver Cris Carter (Philadelphia, 1987) and linebacker Brian Bosworth (Seattle, 1987) are the most recognizable names.

Any team that uses a supplemental draft pick would then lose the corresponding selection in the next year’s draft. The selection order will be determined shortly before the draft and historically has not been released to the public.

Rob Rang (@RobRang) is an analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, owned and distributed by The Sports Xchange, in cooperation with CBSSports.com.