06 July 2023 , 15:45
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Malachi Wideman and Milton Wright will be eligible for the 2023 NFL Supplemental Draft on July 11, an event that hasn't occurred since 2019.
Both play at wide receiver, with Wideman coming out of Jackson State and Wright coming from Purdue. It's been confirmed by the NFL that they're the only two players eligible for selection, in the draft that's set up to accommodate those in unique situations.
Commonly the Supplemental Draft is for players ruled ineligible for the upcoming season, after the official NFL Draft has taken place. It allows players to be considered by NFL teams, otherwise they face a whole season out with college and men's options closed off.
Wideman stands at six-foot-five and weighs in at 200 pounds, making him a serious threat downfield. But the Jackson State receiver barely played in 2022, catching just three passes all year. 2021 was his breakthrough year, receiving 12 touchdowns after transferring from Tennessee.
Wright also enjoyed a successful 2021 season, with the six-foot-three receiver scoring seven touchdowns and making 57 catches. But Wright was ruled academically ineligible for the entire 2022 season, meaning the Supplemental Draft could be his last chance.
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Their future is far from guaranteed, as if a team uses a Supplemental Draft pick then they'll lose their corresponding regular 2024 draft pick. It's the first unique draft that's occurred since 2019, when the Arizona Cardinals used a fifth-round pick on safety Jalen Thompson.
Thompson developed into a regular starter, and proved just how useful the Supplemental Draft can be for both players and teams. Players must submit a formal petition to the league in order to be considered, and they have to be at least three years removed from high school.
The event may be seen as a last gasp chance for players, but one of the best success stories was Josh Gordon in 2012. The wide receiver was selected by the Cleveland Browns and his rookie year is still talked about within the franchise.
Gordon ended the season with nine touchdowns, 1,646 receiving yards, 117.6 yards per game and even recorded consecutive games of 200+ yards. The Browns may not have enjoyed a successful season, but Gordon's breakthrough was a reminder just how much talent can be missed.
But Thompson, Sam Beal (selected by the New York Giants in 2018) and Isaiah Battle (selected by the Los Angeles Rams in 2015) are the only notable names throughout the last decade. Wideman and Wright will be hoping they can be the next big success story, but await their fate.
Bids are submitted blindly by teams, as the order for the Supplemental Draft is different from the regular draft order. Teams are separated into three groups based on last season with the first group made up of non-playoff teams that recorded fewer than six wins.
The second group is non-playoff teams with more than six wins and the final group is teams that made the playoffs teams. The order is decided by a weighted lottery.