Chiefs haven’t touched the supplemental draft in 30 years (and now it’s dead again)

The NFL has officially announced that there will be no supplemental draft for the 2025 season, which makes for yet another quiet summer on that front. While the event once offered a mid-year lifeline to college prospects looking to make the professional leap, it’s largely faded from relevance in recent years with the transfer portal in effect.

No team has made a supplemental draft pick since 2019, when the Arizona Cardinals selected safety Jalen Thompson from Washington State in the fifth round.

For the Kansas City Chiefs, the decision likely doesn't affect things one way or the other, since the franchise has won a supplemental draft choice only once in the event's entire history. That one move came back in 1992, when Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson spent a second-round pick on defensive end Darren Mickell.

At the time, Mickell had declared for the supplemental draft after being suspended from the Florida Gators program in 1992. Kansas City saw potential in the pass rusher and was willing to sacrifice a pick in the following year’s regular draft to get him.

Mickell turned into a solid contributor for the Chiefs, although it took some time. Given his late arrival onto the roster, he ended up playing in only one game during his rookie campaign. However, he earned playing time in all 16 games in 1993 and put up a combined 12.5 sacks in his final two seasons in Kansas City.

While Mickell never became a star, he gave the Chiefs another effective disruptor alongside Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith for a team doing its best to chase a title with Joe Montana and Marcus Allen anchoring the offense. He would go on to play for the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, and Oakland Raiders before retiring from football.

While Mickell is the only official supplemental pick made by the Chiefs over the years, they're no stranger to hosting other players who entered the league that way. Wide receiver Terrell Pryor, tackle Isaiah Battle, and wideout Josh Gordon were all on the Chiefs roster in recent years.