Jalen Thompson becomes third player to enter Supplemental Draft

Vikings fans probably don’t need to get too excited about this, either

With the NFL’s Supplemental Draft just a week and a half away, a third player has declared his intention to be a part of it. However, just like the first two players that jumped in, fans of the Minnesota Vikings probably shouldn’t anticipate the purple using a pick on him.

The latest entrant into the Supplemental Draft is Washington State safety Jalen Thompson, who declared his intentions on Saturday. Earlier, the NCAA had ruled that Thompson would have to forfeit his final year of eligibility because of the purchase of an over-the-counter supplement that was not a steroid, per reports from ESPN.

Thompson was an all-Pac 12 second-team performer in 2017, and received an Honorable Mention in 2018. The 6’, 190-pound Thompson had six interceptions over his career with Washington State, and there were reportedly some that thought he could have turned pro after this past season, but he elected to return to Pullman for his final year. He was also a teammate of current Vikings’ linebacker defensive end defensive tackle Hercules Mata’afa, so he’s got a connection to the Vikings already.

While Thompson has a much better chance of being drafted in the Supplemental Draft than either Syracuse linebacker Shyheim Cullen or West Virginia receiver Marcus Simms, I wouldn’t expect the Vikings to be the team that uses a selection on him. If there’s one position that the Vikings don’t need a whole lot of help at with their current roster, it’s the safety position, and burning a pick on Thompson at this point would just add to the logjam.

The NFL’s Supplemental Draft will take place on 10 July, which is a week from Wednesday.

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