2023 supplemental NFL Draft is today (and why the 49ers won't partake)
By Peter Panacy
The NFL supplemental draft is today, but one shouldn't expect the 49ers to get involved with the players who are eligible.
For those fans who simply cannot get enough of NFL Draft season (we hear you), the league is kind enough to squeeze out just a little more interest a few months after the draft itself.
This, of course, is the NFL supplemental draft.
The supplemental draft is notably different than the regular NFL Draft held toward the end of every April, and the intent is to give players a chance at being selected by NFL teams despite having some sort of disqualifying reason why they couldn't partake in the regular NFL Draft.
Usually, these reasons would be because of disciplinary or academic reasons, but those aren't the sole limitations, as this article from The Draft Network pointed out.
Additionally, the number of players who fall into this category tends to be very small, meaning the supplemental draft sometimes doesn't even happen every summer.
How does the NFL supplemental draft work?
The supplemental draft is nothing like the NFL Draft, as there's not a draft order and teams aren't required to pick (or forfeit) selections.
Instead, the league places all 32 teams into three tiers based on the previous season's records and outcomes, and then those tiers have a lottery system not unlike the NBA Draft. Once the supplementary draft starts, teams can bid their draft picks from the following NFL Draft for eligible players.
Except the bids are private, so no team has a real clue what other teams are bidding. That makes things interesting.
The team with the highest bid is granted that player but loses that corresponding pick in next year's NFL Draft, and if two teams submit bids from the same round, that's where the lottery system comes into play.
If eligible players don't receive bids from teams, they become undrafted free agents and can sign anywhere immediately.
Of note, former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks entered the league via the supplemental draft when the Cincinnanti Bengals used a Round 3 pick bid on him back in 2006.
When is the 2023 NFL supplemental draft?
This year's supplemental draft takes place on Tuesday, July 11
Who is eligible for this year's NFL supplemental draft?
There are two collegiate prospects who are eligible for the 2023 NFL supplemental draft:
- Jackson State WR Malachi Wideman
- Purdue WR Milton Wright
Two players were granted eligibility for next week's NFL Supplemental Draft: Jackson State WR Malachi Wideman and Purdue WR Milton Wright.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 5, 2023
Those are the only two players who can be selected in the supplemental draft -- the first since 2019 -- which will take place Tuesday.
Read more: 2023 NFL Draft: 49ers' best, worst and most intriguing picks
Will the 49ers draft anyone in the 2023 NFL supplemental draft?
This is a Niners site, after all, so let's tie all of this into what general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan might want to do here.
It would be one thing if the eligible players were from a variety of positions. Given there are just two wide receivers and nothing else, though, it's hard to envision San Francisco dishing out draft capital from next year to add either Wideman or Wright.
Especially considering the 49ers' wide receiver depth chart is already pretty crowded, headlined by the big two in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and then followed by two others who are all but guaranteed to make the 53-man roster this season, Jauan Jennings and Ray-Ray McCloud.
More likely than not, Lynch and Shanahan are going to be perfectly happy with their current receiving room and will happily pass on submitting a bid on either of the two eligible prospects.
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