On July 11, the NFL will hold its first supplemental draft since 2019, and we learned today that two players have been granted eligibility for the event. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), Jackson State wide receiver Malachi Wideman and Purdue wideout Milton Wright were granted eligibility for next week’s draft.
Both Wideman and Wright were deemed academically ineligible for the 2022 season and lost 2023 NFL Draft eligibility. The two receivers are the only players who can be selected during the 2023 NFL Supplemental Draft.
Wideman is a former four-star recruit who started his college career at Tennessee. He later joined Deion Sanders‘ Jackson State squad and proceeded to haul in 34 receptions for 540 yards and 12 touchdowns during the 2021 campaign. Those 12 touchdowns ultimately paced the SWAC during the 2021 season. Wideman will audition himself to teams during a Pro Day this Saturday (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KRPC2).
Wright left Purdue last May after being ruled academically ineligible for the 2022 college football season. When we last saw him in 2021, he hauled in 57 catches for 732 yards and seven touchdowns for the Boilermakers. He finished his college career with 99 catches in 27 games.
Any team that selects a player during the draft will have to sacrifice the corresponding round’s pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Between 2010 and 2019, there were eight players selected via the supplemental draft, highlighted by quarterback Terrelle Pryor (third round to the Raiders in 2011) and wide receiver Josh Gordon (second round to the Browns in 2012). There have been seven wideouts selected during the draft since its inception in 1977; besides Gordon, the draft has also produced Pro Bowl WR Rob Moore and Hall of Fame WR Cris Carter.
If a team wants a player in the supplemental draft, they submit a “bid” to the Commissioner with the round they would pick that player. If no other team places a bid on that player at an earlier spot, the team is awarded the player and has to give up an equivalent pick in the following year’s draft.
Mel Kiper Jr. – “I just know I’m gonna blow this mock draft just like I’ve done with every other mock draft I’ve attempted”.
So who thinks a couple of guys that flunked basket weaving 101 can fully grasp an NFL offense?
I suppose you could wait for a draft that offers players with advanced degrees in nuclear physics.
Any team that needs another offensive weapon could take a shot on one of these guys.
Buffalo could Bid a 6th Round pick on a 6’5″ WR Malachi Wideman and see if they can get him. They have two 6th Rd picks next year. That is not a high cost for a huge body target that hauled in 12 TD in 2021.
Texans have two 4th RD picks.
Panthers have two 5th RD picks.
Raiders have multiple 7th RD picks, if no one else Bids they could get one of these WR’s with a throw away pick.
Patriots have two 6th RD picks, they could also put in a 6th Rd Bid and they would automatically beat out Buffalo’s 6th Rd Bid due to the fact that Buffalo went to the playoffs last year and the Pats did not.
Obviously a team can use any pick from any round to Bid with, I just picked these as talking points for one the teams need for a WR and two the comfort of having 2 or more picks in the same late round.
The Rams do not have many picks next year but they do have a real need at WR. I wouldn’t be surprised to see McVay make a Bid as well.
Chiefs have drafted 3 WRs out of Jackson State in the past and the Browns have drafted 3 from Purdue so I will go with those bold predictions…lol.
I love the prediction, I am quietly hoping that the Chiefs drop a 4th or 5th on one of these guys, preferably Wideman. I think it would be a smart move to pick up one more guy. I love what the Chiefs are doing on offense, I think Rashee Rice was a nice draft pick, and newcomer Richie James is an awesome receiver who has missed opportunities because of injuries (but still had a solid performance last year with the Giants.) It’s always good to give Reid and Mahomes some extra weapons