Cris Carter Long Shot? Inside Eagles Thinking on WR in NFL Supplemental Draft

For the first time since 2019, the NFL will hold a supplemental draft and Milton Wright could be an attractive option for the Philadelphia Eagles and other teams

Cris Carter entered the NFL in a unique way. He was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1987 supplemental draft, and, while things didn’t work out for the former Ohio State receiver, he landed with the Minnesota Vikings after three seasons in Philly and became a Hall of Famer. Carter is considered the best of the supplemental picks, per the Pro Football Network.

The supplemental draft is returning after a three-year hiatus. It will reportedly be held on July 11. There’s a player that could attract the Eagles’ interest, and that is former Purdue receiver Milton Wright.

The Eagles’ receiver group is noticeably thin after their two top guns, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus are next on the depth chart followed by Britain Covey and a handful of others that includes Greg Ward.

Wright, who is 6-3, 195, was ruled academically ineligible for the 2022 season and left Purdue last May. In 2021, however, he caught 57 passes for 73 yards and seven touchdowns. He is reportedly eligible for the supplemental draft.

It is a draft that is much different from the regular draft.

Teams are separated into three groups based on the results of the previous season, with the first group consisting of non-playoff teams that had six or fewer wins. The second group consists of non-playoff teams with more than six wins. The final group has playoff teams.

The order in those groups is determined by a weighted lottery, with the teams with the fewest wins given the best chance to win with the earliest picks. Here’s the catch, though. Bids are submitted blindly – sort of like a silent auction – with the team stating what round they would take the player.

The team highest in the draft order who submits the earliest-round bid for a player will be awarded that player. When that happens, that club forfeits a pick in the same round of the next year's regular draft.

It’s doubtful a team would submit a first-round pick for Wright, but a second-round choice might not be out of the question.

Either way, he is a likely longshot to join the Eagles – unless they really think he can become the next Carter, or, at the very least, become a solid depth piece.

The Eagles submitted a fourth-round pick to acquire the rights to Carter in 1987. Could they do that with Wright?

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Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.

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