Milton Wright, WR, Purdue | NFL Supplemental Draft Scouting Report

The NFL Supplemental Draft returns on Tuesday, July 11, after being on hiatus since 2019. According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Purdue wide receiver Milton Wright was granted eligibility to be selected by the NFL. We’re diving into whether Wright could be selected in the 2023 NFL Supplemental Draft.

Milton Wright NFL Draft Profile

• Position: Wide Receiver
• School: Purde
• Current Year: Junior
• Height/Weight: 6’3″, 195 pounds

The lone Supplemental Draft prospect at the time of writing this scouting report is Wright. The Purdue playmaker was ruled academically ineligible for the 2022 college football season, which is why he also missed the team’s bowl game against Tennessee at the end of the 2021 campaign. Wright left the program after being ruled ineligible and is looking to be the 16th player selected in the Supplemental Draft since 2000.

Wright was a solid player for the Boilermakers, earning fourth-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele in 2021 by catching 57 passes for 732 yards and seven touchdowns. He was the offense’s third option behind current NFL players Rondale Moore and David Bell. His two most notable performances were quite promising, producing 98 yards and a touchdown against Ohio State and 213 yards on eight catches against Northwestern.

The former four-star recruit was a high school star in Kentucky and earned an early role at Purdue despite being on a loaded depth chart. With 1,325 yards and 10 touchdowns on 99 receptions in 29 career games, Wright showed off a blend of explosiveness and upside that will earn him NFL consideration.

Milton Wright Scouting Report

Strengths

• Uses his large frame and length effectively at the catch point. Provides his quarterback with a sizeable target range, as you’d hope for his measurements.
• Sure-handed, reliable receiver with few drops and a high first-down conversion rate (created a first down on 67 of his 99 receptions).
• Finds zone gaps effectively and wastes little time getting to space. Effective at deep crossers and navigating through crowded areas of the field.
• Tracks the ball effectively without wasting energy or momentum, including jumping at the catch point and high-pointing the ball.
• Sells his role well, whether it’s blocking or serving as the pick man on a combination route. Shows active hands to draw the defender’s attention. Pays attention to the details.
• Embraces the physicality of the position and doesn’t shy away from contact.
• Sells his routes as best he can, including double-moves, allowing him to win against off-coverage.

Areas for Improvement

• Slow to accelerate off the line of scrimmage, limiting his ability to get on top of press corners.
• Struggles to avoid press jams due to foot speed and does not engage defenders by batting their hands away.
• Overall lack of separation limits his upside with most quarterbacks unless a usage or scheme change unlocks something he was unable to show in college.
• Does not provide significant value after the catch. Generally finishes the catch and goes down. Low broken-tackle rate.
• Deep speed is average but doesn’t require consistent safety help.
• Route tree was limited at Purdue, and he’s stiff in his lateral movements. His upside is tied to his ability to win on vertical routes and slants.
• Lacks experience in the slot, which is a place of potential value for his future.

Purdue WR Milton Wright Current Draft Projection

With the way the Supplemental Draft works, any team that selects Wright will be using the corresponding pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Teams bid blindly with a round selection. Without factoring in the strange circumstances that the supplemental draft provides, Wright profiles as a late-Day 3 pick.

The 6’3″, 195-pound outside receiver was a good fit in Purdue’s aggressive, vertical passing offense. He effectively provided quarterback Aidan O’Connell with a physical, reliable threat who could both win contested catches and find open space when facing zone coverages.

Defenses that were more concerned with shading coverages toward Moore or Bell often allowed Wright to find opportunities for meaningful production.

Though Wright enjoyed a career game against Northwestern, where he totaled eight receptions for 213 yards and three touchdowns, much of his production was rarely repeatable. He consistently created separation on double-moves, which were effectively sold, and he has enough speed to take advantage of aggressive cornerbacks who bit on the action.

However, the rest of his film was filled with countless examples of defenders being able to stay on top of underneath routes or in his hip pocket of vertical routes.

Wright’s lack of suddenness, acceleration, and speed is problematic for his ability to rise as a contributor on most teams. He has value to quarterbacks who are willing to try contested catches and longer-developing routes. His size and sure-handedness can pay real dividends in the red zone as well, but not every offense favors jump balls or double-moves.

Without real slot experience, Wright will need to prove capable of dominating as a possession receiver. He has strong enough positives to compete for a role like Collin Johnson and Laquon Treadwell have across several teams. But neither have proven to be long-term solutions for an offense, but rather depth pieces who are matchup-dependent.

Teams lacking a receiver with size or a clear fifth option should consider taking Wright. However, teams are often more cautious than not when it comes to using future picks. I’d give Wright a late-round valuation for teams like Tennessee, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, and Detroit.

Supplemental Draft Projection: Undrafted