Three weeks ago, when Tony Hollings applied for entry into the NFL's supplemental draft, there was some question as to whether or not the exiled Georgia Tech tailback would even be selected in the lottery designed for special-cases prospects.

But given his on-campus workout last week, and the level of attention he has generated from several teams seeking a young tailback, the question now has changed dramatically. It now seems a matter of how high Hollings will be chosen Thursday, when the supplemental draft, which includes six players, is conducted.

Until the last few days, conventional wisdom had been that Hollings would not be chosen before the fourth round. But a survey of franchises legitimately interested in Hollings, who petitioned for inclusion in the draft after he was declared academically ineligible for the '03 season, indicated there is now a possibility he could be chosen higher.

"Because there are two or three teams who seem pretty hot for him, we may have to go a little higher than we thought, if we decide we really want him," said a personnel official from one of the teams considering Hollings. "It's not inconceivable he could be taken in the third round now. I've heard some people say the second (round) and, if that really is the case, then we won't get him. But we might go as high as a (third-round pick)."

Officials from two NFC teams, contacted on Wednesday, told ESPN.com that they were still analyzing videotapes of Hollings from 2002, but were leaning toward bidding on the fleet running back. The teams that have indicated public interest in Hollings include Chicago, Texas, Dallas and New England, but there are several more potential suitors who quietly remain intrigued by him.

One of those teams is Jacksonville, and ESPN.com has learned that Jaguars officials were to meet with Hollings on Wednesday night in Atlanta.

Rarely does the supplemental draft, at least in recent summers, elicit such interest in a player. Historically, the prospects in the supplemental draft -- typically a pool comprised of players who have lost their remaining college eligibility for any number of reasons -- merit only cursory inspection. Few players in the supplemental draft would be solid prospects even if they were able to stay in school and complete their eligibility.

The Houston Texans did invest a sixth-round choice in last summer's supplemental draft to select former Florida State guard Milford Brown, who could vie for a starting spot in camp this year. But there have been only a handful of players of consequence chosen in all of the 26 previous supplemental drafts, and arguably the last notable prospect was quarterback Dave Brown, selected by the New York Giants in 1992.

Apparently, though, some teams look at Hollings and see a tailback with great speed who is capable of orchestrating some big plays. Chicago college scouting director Greg Gabriel, in fact, suggested that Hollings could be "a difference maker" in assessing him earlier this week.

Both of the combine services that provide scouting reports to subscriber franchises -- National Football Scouting, Inc., and Blesto -- had Hollings as the second highest-rated tailback prospect in their spring reports. In each case, Hollings was ranked among the top 10 prospects overall. But the ratings are for "rising" seniors and assume that a prospect is healthy and plays in his senior season.

The franchise that chooses Hollings must forfeit its commensurate pick in the 2004 draft. So if a team picks Hollings in the third round Thursday, with the supplemental draft conducted via e-mail, it must forfeit a third-rounder next April.

Clearly, a group of teams have concluded that the potential reward of taking Hollings supercedes the risk involved.

A little-used defensive back until 2002, when Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey moved him to offense, Hollings has very little game exposure to the tailback position. He played in just four contests in '02 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Hollings led the nation in rushing and scoring through four games, posting 633 yards and 11 touchdowns, before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament and the lateral meniscus cartilage in his right knee against Brigham Young.

	Best Of The Supplementals
	In the 26 previous supplemental drafts, only 32 prospects have been selected, and not many have been players of consequence. A few notable players, though, entered the league through the supplemental draft. Here are some:
	Player	Year	Team
	QB Dave Brown	1992	Giants
	WR Rob Moore	1990	Jets
	RB Bobby Humphrey	1989	Broncos
	QB Steve Walsh	1989	Cowboys
	LB Brian Bosworth	1987	Seahawks
	WR Cris Carter	1987	Eagles
	QB Bernie Kosar	1985	Browns
	QB Dave Wilson	1981	Saints

Nationally renowned orthopedic surgeon James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala., examined Hollings and opined he will be fully recovered by the start of NFL training camps. A few franchises have projected, though, Hollings might not be ready for full-scale activities and could begin camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list.

"The way I feel," said Hollings, "I'm at about 90 percent right now. I don't see any reason I can't be on the field for camp and doing everything I'm supposed to do."

One conundrum in appraising Hollings' value, however, is that he is a speed back coming off a severe knee injury. Because he did not run a 40-yard dash at his workout last week, scouts cannot accurately project how much speed might have been lost to the knee injury. Before the injury, Hollings was clocked at 4.45-4.47 in the 40, an excellent range. From a size standpoint, Hollings (5-feet-10¾ and 216 pounds) possesses NFL-type dimensions.

National Football Scouting had given him a 7.0 grade on its nine-point system. His grade on Blesto's five-point system, in which lower scores are superior, was 1.23. Among the senior tailback prospects, only Greg Jones of Florida State was rated higher, and by both of the combine services.

Of the five other prospects in Thursday's supplemental draft, the only one creating even a modicum of buzz is Alabama State defensive end Earl Cochran, and he is still a long shot to be selected. On the scouting combine reports, Cochran had grades that projected him as a low-round draft pick to an undrafted free agent.

One scouting report obtained by ESPN.com on Cochran still isn't flattering, questioning his explosiveness and overall athleticism, but some franchise might gamble that his pass rush skills will develop. Cochran, who played at times in 2002 at just 224 pounds, bulked up to about 255-260 pounds in recent months. He had 9½ sacks and 62 tackles in '02, and has been timed in under 4.9 in the 40.

The other prospects -- defensive tackle Jason Cedeno of Northeastern Oklahoma State, Oregon State defensive end Noah Happe, Northern Colorado wide receiver Brad Pyatt and wide receiver Donovan Morgan of Louisiana-Lafayette -- have virtually no chance of being selected.

Players who are not chosen in the supplemental draft become free agents and are then able to sign with any team.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.