After a three-year hiatus, the NFL supplemental draft will return and take place on Tuesday, July 11. ... and maybe, just maybe, there's another Cris Carter out there.
NFL training camps are scheduled to open about two weeks later, including the Seattle Seahawks, who begin camp on July 26. This draft is for players who were not eligible for April's draft but whose circumstances have since changed. Currently, there is one prospect but other players could be granted eligibility by the NFL in the near future.
Carter, a Hall of Famer, is at the top of the list of all-timers in this category. Taken by the Philadelphia Eagles and then claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Vikings, where he gained his greatest fame, Carter is the only player selected in the supplemental draft to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Purdue receiver Milton Wright is the lone player eligible as of now. The four-star high school recruit out of Louisville was academically ineligible for the 2022 college season but had a solid season in 2021. A big target, at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Wright finished with 57 catches for 732 yards and seven touchdowns for the Boilermakers in 2021.
In the supplemental draft, teams make bids for prospects depending on the round they would pick them in the usual draft. If the bid is accepted, that team gives up their pick in that round in the following year's draft. A player is generally in this position for some off-field oddity or issue. (In Wright's case, he was academically ineligible in 2022 and now choses to turn pro.)
Should the Seahawks forfeit a pick in next year’s draft - maybe a late-round selection - to add a player in the supplemental draft? After signing quarterback Geno Smith to a new contract, the Seahawks are legitimate playoff contenders in 2023, with the second-best odds to win the NFC West division.
Seattle has solid depth at receiver with D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and first-round draft pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but could still be open to adding players who could help them in 'win now mode.' Maybe Wright could be a helpful reinforcement.
There have been standout names who have gone through the supplemental process, with a mixed bag of results, including receivers Carter and Josh Gordon, quarterbacks Bernie Kosar, Steve Walsh (by Dallas) and Terrelle Pryor, and current Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson.
Follow Bri Amaranthus on Twitter and Instagram
Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @lockedonseahawks today! Click here To Listen.
Want even more Seattle Seahawks news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
More must-reads: