Report: Former Deion Sanders pupil eligible for NFL's supplemental draft

When it was learned the NFL would bring back the supplemental draft in 2023, only one player was known to be eligible for the summer event. That total has now doubled.

Wideout Malachi Wideman has been deemed eligible for the supplemental draft, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 (Twitter link). Wideman joins fellow receiver Milton Wright as players currently available to be selected on July 11, when the league holds its first edition of the summer draft since 2019. College alums are required to apply to the NFL for eligibility, as those who take the supplemental path do so only after losing eligibility for the entry draft in April.

Wideman was a four-star recruit after a productive high school career in both football and basketball. He joined Tennessee in June of 2020, but after making just one appearance he transferred to Jackson State the following year. Doing so allowed him to play under head coach Deion Sanders and put together a strong season. Wideman posted 12 touchdowns that year, demonstrating his ability as a red-zone threat in particular.

He was deemed ineligible to play last season, however, which left him on the sidelines in 2022 and required to him to work through the approval process for the upcoming supplemental draft. Wideman’s limited playing time at the college level could give NFL teams pause, though his pedigree coming out of high school coupled with his size (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) and production in his one full collegiate campaign could present an intriguing option.

The most recent receiver selected in the supplemental draft was Josh Gordon. The Cleveland Browns used a second-round pick on Gordon in 2012, a move which appeared to pay signficant dividends early in his career. Things have not gone as planned since, of course. There are other signficant examples of wideouts joining the NFL via the supplemental route (including Cris Carter and Rob Moore). Wright and Wideman will look to join their ranks next month.