The NFL Supplemental Draft returned for 2023 but came and went without any movement. As tweeted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, no players were chosen in this year’s draft. The two eligible players, WRs Milton Wright and Malachi Wideman, are now free agents.
The fact neither were selected comes as little surprise. Both could wind up in NFL camps later this summer but Wright and Wideman weren’t considered high enough prospects to be selected.
Wright had a strong college career, catching 57 passes for 732 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021, his final year playing at Purdue. He was ruled academically ineligible in 2022 and opted to enter the Supplemental Draft.
Wideman is a former four-star recruit who began his career at Tennessee before transferring to Jackson State. He had a big 2021 season, catching 12 touchdowns, but barely played in 2022 and was suspended for several weeks. He initially entered the transfer portal before turning to the NFL.
The Steelers are strong and deep at wide receiver and there was no expectation the team had any interest in drafting either player. It did not appear the team was in attendance for Wideman’s recent workout ahead of today’s draft.
Pittsburgh’s never made a selection in the Supplemental NFL Draft. The last player to be selected came in 2019 when the Arizona Cardinals selected S Jalen Thompson with a future fifth-round pick. The draft was not held from 2020 to 2022 in large part due to the pandemic that offered college players extended eligibility.
