Story by
What is the NFL supplemental draft? Brendan Sorsby will go to highest bidder
- Story by
- What is the NFL supplemental draft? Brendan Sorsby will go to highest bidder
Brendan Sorsby is looking to enter the NFL via a 2026 supplemental draft.
But what is the supplemental draft, and is the Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback eligible to apply for it? As Sorsby is embroiled in a legal battle with the NCAA over his eligibility, while the Big 12 is taking its own legal action against Texas Tech, things have gotten complicated. The news on Monday, June 15 that Sorsby was applying to enter the supplemental draft only adds more complications.
Advertisement
There are several teams who could be interested in Sorsby should that happen. The New York Jets , Arizona Cardinals , Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers are among the passer's best fits, making for an intriguing offseason tentpole if the passer is deemed eligible.
Here's everything we know about Sorsby and a potential 2026 NFL supplemental draft so far, as well as what to know about the league's history of supplemental drafts.
BRENDAN SORSBY: Texas Tech QB entering NFL Supplemental Draft after parting ways with Red Raiders
What is the NFL supplemental draft?
The NFL supplemental draft provides an opportunity for players who planned to play college football but have since become ineligible a chance to apply for NFL membership.
Advertisement
Here's what the NFL rulebook says about the supplemental draft, per CBS Sports :
"If such player participates in spring football or other team-related activities at his school, or otherwise indicates that he intends to return to college to play football, he is not eligible for selection in the Principal Draft," the NFL rulebook reads. "If he subsequently fails to become eligible for participation in the following college football season, he may apply for a Supplemental Draft, if the League elects to schedule one."
The supplemental draft is typically held in June or July – if the NFL schedules one. Players have to apply for eligibility for it and their applications are reviewed by the NFL on a case-by-case basis.
Players are selected via an auction process. NFL teams are given the opportunity to place bids on players on a round-by-round basis using next year's draft picks. The highest bidder is then awarded the player.
Advertisement
And if the player goes unselected, he is eligible to sign with an NFL club as a free agent.
More: Brendan Sorsby drama ends, but not before tearing college football apart
Will Brendan Sorsby be eligible for NFL supplemental draft?
Sorsby is eligible to enter the NFL's supplemental draft if he loses his college football eligibility for the coming NCAA season, a league spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports in April. His application to enter a supplemental draft this year still needs to be reviewed by the NFL. Sorsby had a June 22 deadline to enter his name into the supplemental draft.
Notably, Sorsby is still currently allowed to play during the 2026 college football season after a legal ruling granted him a temporary injunction against the NCAA on Monday, June 8. The injunction restored his eligibility for the upcoming year after the NCAA launched an investigation into the Texas Tech quarterback's gambling addiction. The court ruling also required Sorsby to serve a two-game suspension at the start of the 2026 college football season.
Advertisement
However, on June 14, the Big 12 filed a legal complaint to affirm the right to sanction Texas Tech if it allows Sorsby to play in any games. And on June 15, the NCAA filed its appeal of the June 8 injunction ruling.
If Sorsby remains eligible in the NCAA, he will not be able to enter the NFL supplemental draft. But even if he loses eligibility, the NFL still has to approve his application to enter the supplemental draft.
NFL supplemental draft history
The NFL supplemental draft was first held in 1977, when the Seattle Seahawks selected running back Al Hunter with a fourth-round pick after he was suspended from Notre Dame for disciplinary reasons.
Advertisement
At least one player was selected in each of the first five seasons of the NFL supplemental draft's existence. The 1985 edition of the event drew a great deal of attention, as star Miami quarterback Bernie Kosar declared for it and was selected by the Cleveland Browns with a first-round pick.
The most players selected in a single supplemental draft were five, in 1989. Three of the players selected – Steve Walsh, Timm Rosenbach and Bobby Humphrey – were first-round picks that season.
The supplemental draft has been sparingly used in recent NFL seasons. The league hasn't held a supplemental draft since 2023, and no player has been selected since the Arizona Cardinals used a 2020 fifth-round pick to select safety Jalen Thompson in 2019.
Notable NFL supplemental draft selections
Below is a look at some of the most notable selections over the supplemental draft's history:
Advertisement
-
1985: QB Bernie Kosar, Cleveland Browns (first round)
-
1987: LB Brian Bosworth, Seattle Seahawks (first round)
-
1987: WR Cris Carter, Minnesota Vikings (fourth round)
-
1989: QB Steve Walsh, Dallas Cowboys (first round)
-
1989: RB Bobby Humphrey, Denver Broncos (first round)
-
1990: WR Rod Moore , New York Jets (first round)
-
1992: QB Dave Brown, New York Giants (first round)
-
1998: G Mike Wahle, Green Bay Packers (second round)
-
1998: DT Jamaal Williams , San Diego Chargers (second round)
-
2006: LB Ahmad Brooks , Cincinnati Bengals (third round)
-
2011: QB Terrelle Pryor , Oakland Raiders (third round)
-
2012: WR Josh Gordon , Cleveland Browns (second round)
Brendan Sorsby mock draft
If Sorsby is granted entry into the supplemental draft, it will be interesting to see whether any teams are interested in him. He completed 61.6% of his passes for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 580 yards and nine touchdowns on 100 carries in his final season at Cincinnati.
Because of this, Sorsby was considered a potential first-round quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft. Below is where he landed in a smattering of way-too-early 2027 mock drafts.
-
USA TODAY Sports : No. 13 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
-
Pro Football Focus : No. 8 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
-
CBS Sports : No. 8 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
-
Bleacher Report : No. 10 overall, Atlanta Falcons
-
NJ.com : No. 4 overall, Cleveland Browns
If a team believes in Sorsby's talent enough, it may be willing to take a chance on the 22-year-old. Still, any team considering such a move has to be comfortable with his adherence to the basic rules of the NFL's gambling policy.
Advertisement
NFL gambling rules
The NFL outlines six key rules as part of its gambling policy. They are as follows, per the league's website .
-
NEVER bet on the NFL: Includes other NFL events such as Draft, Combine, Pro Bowl, & NFL Honors
-
Don't have someone bet for you: Do not ask family, friends, or others to place a bet for you
-
Don't gamble ( no bets on sports, casino or card games ) at your team facility/stadium, while traveling for a road game, or staying at a team hotel.
-
Don't share team 'inside information': Don't share information that hasn't been announced by team.
-
Don't enter a sportsbook during the NFL playing season.
-
Don't play daily fantasy football.
NFL player contracts also contain within them an "integrity of the game" clause , which reads as follows:
"Player recognizes the detriment to the League and professional football that would result from impairment of public confidence in the honest and orderly conduct of NFL games or the integrity and good character of NFL players. Player therefore acknowledges his awareness that if he accepts a bribe or agrees to throw or fix an NFL game; fails to promptly report a bribe offer or an attempt to throw or fix an NFL game; bets on an NFL game; knowingly associates with gamblers or gambling activity; uses or provides other players with stimulants or other drugs for the purpose of attempting to enhance on-field performance; or is guilty of any other form of conduct reasonably judged by the League Commissioner to be detrimental to the League or professional football, the Commissioner will have the right, but only after giving Player the opportunity for a hearing at which he may be represented by counsel of his choice, to fine Player in a reasonable amount; to suspend Player for a period certain or indefinitely; and/or to terminate this contract."
Advertisement
When is the supplemental draft?
There is no set date for this year's supplemental draft, as the NFL still needs to determine whether one will be held. A vast majority of the most recent supplemental drafts have taken place in July.
Each of the last four supplemental drafts – in 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2019 – was set within the first 16 days of July. In 2011, the Browns selected Terrelle Pryor in a supplemental draft held in mid-August.
If Sorsby's application to enter a 2026 supplemental draft is successful, the league will need to determine a date for it.
How does the supplemental draft work?
The NFL supplemental draft works like an auction. Each team has a chance to bid future draft picks on players included in the supplemental draft. The team that bids the highest pick in the following year's draft gets the player it's seeking to acquire and forfeits that pick the next year.
Advertisement
The supplemental draft takes a round-by-round format, similar to the standard NFL draft, with the order determined by a weighted lottery. Teams with worse finishes in the previous season have higher chances of securing a better position in the supplemental draft.
The round order is used only as a tiebreaker if multiple teams bid picks from the same round. So if the Raiders had won the lottery for the No. 1 pick in each round in the supplemental draft and the Seahawks had been given the No. 32 pick in the supplemental draft, Las Vegas would win its bid for a player if both teams bid a 2027 third-round pick in this year's supplemental draft.
For a concrete example, safety Jalen Thompson was the most recent player selected in a supplemental draft, back in 2019. The Arizona Cardinals won Thompson's rights by bidding a fifth-round pick in the supplemental draft – meaning no other team bid a draft pick from a higher round or had a higher supplemental draft position within the fifth round – and Arizona forfeited its fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft as a result.
Teams do not have to submit bids for players in the supplemental draft. If Sorsby is not selected by a team in the supplemental draft, he becomes an undrafted free agent and can negotiate a deal with any team.
Advertisement
USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis and John Leuzzi also contributed to this report .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL supplemental draft, explained: What Brendan Sorsby's move means
