After a three-year hiatus, the NFL supplemental draft will return and take place on July 11. ... and maybe, just maybe, is there another Cris Carter out there?
NFL training camps are scheduled to open about two weeks later, including the Philadelphia Eagles, who begin camp at the end of July. 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.
The Hall of Famer Carter is at the top of the list of all-timers in this category. Taken by the Eagles and then claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Vikings, when 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 wide 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 Eagles forfeit a pick in next year’s draft - maybe a late-rounder - to add a player in the supplemental draft? After signing quarterback Jalen Hurts to a new contract extension, the Eagles are again legitimate Super Bowl contenders, with the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia is rich with pass-catching talent with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, 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 wide receivers Carter and Josh Gordon, quarterbacks Bernie Kosar, Steve Walsh (by Dallas) and Terrelle Pryor, and current Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson.
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