For the first time since 2019, the NFL will hold a Supplemental Draft next month. Taking place on July 11th, there will be two players eligible to be selected. According to KPRC’s Aaron Wilson, Purdue WR Milton Wright and Jackson State WR Malachi Wideman have been granted supplemental eligibility.
Any team that uses a selection in the Supplemental Draft will forfeit that pick for the 2024 draft. For example, if someone uses a sixth-round selection next month, they’ll give up their sixth-round selection next April.
We noted Wright’s inclusion when the league announced the draft would return next month. He has the better shot of the two to be selected. With size and production, he caught 57 passes for 732 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021. He finished his Boilermakers career with 99 receptions for more than 1,300 yards and 10 receiving scores. Wright is in the Supplemental Draft after being ruled academically ineligible for the 2022 season, a recurring issue throughout his college career.
Wideman, listed at 6’5, 190 pounds, had a strong 2021 season. Though he didn’t see much volume, he caught 12 touchdowns on just 34 receptions, averaging 15.9 yards per catch. A former four-star recruit, he began his career at Tennessee before transferring for the 2021 season. But his playing time was severely reduced in 2022, academically suspended for part of the year, and he ended the season with only three catches. He initially entered the transfer portal in April but will turn to the NFL instead.
Odds are, neither player will be selected in this year’s Supplemental Draft. If they aren’t, they’ll immediately become free agents and able to sign with any team. Pittsburgh’s wide receiver room is deep and the Steelers didn’t select a wideout in this year’s draft, a rare occurrence over the last two decades. Meaning, it’s doubtful they use a pick on Wright or Wideman this year. In fact, the Steelers have never used a supplemental pick before.
But the draft returning is notable and there’s always the chance one of these two players end up on an AFC North roster.
