The NFL supplemental draft returned for the first time in four years with little buzz, as no players were taken in the first installment since 2019. Two players who were eligible for the draft, Purdue wide receiver Milton Wright and Jackson State wide receiver Malachi Wideman, are now free agents and can sign with any team going forward.
Why weren't Wright and Wideman selected? Any team that picked a player in the supplemental draft would have to give up that corresponding pick in the round that player was selected in next year's draft. For example, if a team bid for Wright in the fourth round of the supplemental draft, that team would have to give up a 2024 fourth-round pick as a result of making the selection.
The last time a team made a pick in the supplemental draft was the Arizona Cardinals, who took Jalen Thompson in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. Thompson is now a starting safety for the Cardinals and a centerpiece of the team's rebuild.
Notable supplemental draft picks in the past include Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter (Eagles, 1987), Pro Bowl wide receiver Rob Moore (Jets, 1990), and Pro Bowl wide receiver Josh Gordon (Browns, 2012).
Wright was ruled academically ineligible for the 2022 season, which is why he was available for the supplemental draft (Wright was ruled eligible to play by the NFL prior to the draft taking place). He finished with 57 catches for 732 yards and seven touchdowns in his junior season at Purdue.
Wideman played in just six games in 2022 and ended up transferring out of Jackson State after former head coach Deion Sanders left to coach Colorado. He didn't enter the NFL Draft due to being in the portal, but was ruled eligible for the supplemental draft. Wideman caught 34 passes for 540 yards with 12 touchdowns in 2021, tying for the SWAC lead in that category.
Officially undrafted free agents, Wright and Wideman hope to join a team prior to training camps starting around the league later in July.
