The Jets are planning to add some more depth at safety as training camp approaches. The team will sign Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant, according to an NFL Network report. Bryant went undrafted in Wednesday’s supplemental draft. He entered the supplemental draft after he was ruled academically ineligible for the 2018 season. He had 157 tackles and five interceptions for the Bulldogs, but three of those interceptions came in 2015. The Jets were one of 14 teams to attend his pro day last month. The Jets are set with Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye as their starting safeties, but they have been looking to add some depth on the back end. They signed J.J. Wilcox last month.<doc-sep>Bryant declared for the Supplemental Draft due to a combination of academic issues at Mississippi State and a DUI arrest in January of 2017. He was one of five players eligible for the draft, with only two actually being selected. The Giants took Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal in the third round and the Redskins selected Virginia Tech corner Adonis Alexander in the sixth. By signing Bryant as an undrafted free agent, the Jets were able to preserve their draft picks for next season.<doc-sep>Here we are, a week after the Fourth of July, and just like in most years, it’s quite the drought for football news. Typically during this time, we’re twiddling our thumbs until training camp starts (or partake in the odd phenomenon that has peaked this year of watching the CFL). That same trend was on its way to becoming a reality again this year—all the way up until the time for college players to commit to the NFL supplemental draft. But for the first time in some years, the prospect list for the supplemental draft has some star power, relatively speaking. For those unfamiliar with the supplemental draft, here’s a quick breakdown of how it works. With the higher profile supplement draft, the Arrowhead Pride Nerd Squad (™ maybe) got together and decided to take a look at the three most likely players to get drafted in the 2018 supplemental draft. Here are the first two evaluations: I must preface this review by saying there is a reason these guys are in the supplemental draft and why the last player taken in a supplemental draft class was Josh Gordon in 2012. Most often, these players aren’t squeaky clean off the field and usually aren’t top tier talent on it These guys did not feel ready or like the feedback they got from the NFL Draft committee before the 2017 NFL Draft and then either became ineligible or decided another year in college was not before them. Most often, these players aren’t squeaky clean off the field and usually aren’t top-tier talent on it. With all of that out of the way, let’s proceed with some Draftmas in July! Brandon Bryant, Safety 5’ 11” | 207 lbs. | Mississippi State Projected Draft Range: sixth or seventh round Games watched: La Tech ‘15, Auburn ‘16, LSU, Auburn Prospect grade (out of 100): 61.33 I would take him in the: seventh One sentence bio: Suspended from spring practices, Bryant, who is an athletic freak entered the NFL supplemental draft. One sentence scouting report: Bryant is a good athlete that reacts quickly to what he sees in front of him but is lacking any real feel for the game outside of that scope. One play: #DraftmasInJuly If Brandon Bryant can improve his football IQ he shows some interesting traits as an underneath Safety. When he recognizes the play, he can close downhill and work through traffic. Needs to spend extra work in the film room but could be developed at the next level pic.twitter.com/6c6w4EBbc6 — Matt Lane (@ChiefinCarolina) July 7, 2018 Why he fits in KC: The Chiefs’ secondary is in need of help at both the safety and cornerback position. Fortunately for them, this supplemental draft has three big names that all play on the back end of a defense. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Bryant doesn’t appear ready to add much to the starting unit of their defense. Looking rather uncomfortable and unaware when asked to play in deep zones or man coverage outside of a few steps, Bryant is limited to a close to the line of scrimmage (LoS) safety role. If a team is feeling generous with Bryant and wants to drift back to the 2015 season, they will see more flashes as a deep safety and might think there is a chance at a long term developmental player. A team could work around his limitations and ask Bryant to be an apex defender in the slot that is used almost exclusively in hook/curl/flat zones. He’s clearly not ready for a starting safety role but as a third/fourth safety, there could be potential for Bryant as he gains more experience to see meaningful defensive snaps. If a team is feeling generous with Bryant and wants to drift back to the 2015 season, they will see more flashes as a deep safety and might think there is a chance at a long-term developmental player. There is no denying his physical gifts and flashes on the field; it’s always going to be a matter of how quickly, if at all, he can start putting all these pieces together. In the meantime, Bryant could be used as a special teams player with a good combination of athleticism and size. With the new rules in effect on kickoffs as well as the current state of punts, there could be a higher demand for quality special team players and with his blend of athletic traits, Bryant could be a player that benefits from this era of special teams play. The bottom line The biggest drawback to bidding a higher selection on Brandon Bryant is the crowded safety room he’d be entering. The biggest drawback to bidding a higher selection on Brandon Bryant is the crowded safety room he’d be entering. Not that the Chiefs have a stacked safety group but rather a grab-bag of roster fillable guys that fill niche roles and that are developing themselves. This deeper group of guys with similar skill sets to Bryant will make it hard to justify any capital being shelled out for Bryant at this point in time, especially with less camp time then all of these competitors.<doc-sep>
The Jets will sign former Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant, per Tom Pelissero. The #Jets are expected to sign former Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant, source said. Bryant wasn’t selected in NFL supplemental draft, but ran a 4.4-range 40 at pro day, could contribute immediately on special teams. — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 11, 2018 Two players were selected in Wednesday’s Supplemental Draft. Bryant was not, which makes him an undrafted free agent free to sign with any team. He entered the Supplemental Draft after being declared academically ineligible for his final college season. SB Nation has the following scouting report on him: Brandon Bryant was a source of big plays for Mississippi State throughout his three years with the team. He had five interceptions for 122 yards and a touchdown in three seasons and also chipped in 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in that timespan. Bryant doesn’t profile as a year one contributor on anything other than special teams, but that will not be a requirement with the Jets since Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye are entrenched as starters at the safety position. It is always difficult to project how a player will develop in his final year of college, but a number of observers feel Bryant might have been selected in next spring’s NFL Draft, making this essentially a bonus late round pick for the Jets. Since the Jets waited until after the draft to sign Bryant, they won’t have any negative consequences for signing the free agent. If a team selects a player in the supplemental draft they lose a draft pick in the subsequent draft that corresponds with the round in which the player was picked. Bryant played three seasons at Mississippi State, where he racked up 157 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 5 interceptions and 1 touchdown.