Could Brendan Sorsby end up in the NFL supplemental draft? The 36-touchdown QB has until June 22
A gambling-related NCAA investigation has the Texas Tech transfer weighing a route that hasn't produced a Day 1 pick since 2015.
Brendan Sorsby played quarterback for Cincinnati in 2025, threw for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns, and was set to be one of the top non-elite QBs in the 2027 draft class. An NCAA investigation into alleged gambling on Indiana football games (his previous school) has compromised his eligibility. The NFL has given him until June 22 to file for the league's rarely used supplemental draft.
What is the supplemental draft?
An offseason mechanism for prospects who became eligible after the regular April draft, usually due to academic issues, transfers, or NCAA decisions. Teams who select a player must give up a draft pick in the next year's regular draft (a third-round supplemental pick costs the team a 2027 third). The supplemental draft has produced only one significant NFL player in the past decade: Sam Beal, taken in the third round by the Giants in 2018.
How good a prospect is Sorsby?
Better than the typical supplemental candidate. At Cincinnati in 2025 he completed 207 of 336 passes for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns while rushing for 580 yards and nine more scores. His 36 total touchdowns tied for third nationally. Pro Football Network's scouting report grades him as a Day 2 talent. CBS Sports' draft analyst Mike Renner has reported that 'multiple evaluators' graded him in the second-round range had he entered the 2026 draft.
What happens in the investigation?
Sorsby is currently in a treatment program for a gambling addiction. He placed thousands of online bets, including some on Indiana football games while he was a redshirt player there. The NCAA investigation could result in a permanent loss of eligibility. The NFL has cleared him to apply for the supplemental draft if the NCAA ruling makes a 2026 college season impossible.
Which teams make sense?
Any team with a long-term QB question and an expendable Day 2 pick. Most reporting has centered on the Eagles, Dolphins, and Browns. Philadelphia has Hurts on a long contract and could draft Sorsby as a developmental project. Miami needs a long-term answer after Tua's concussion-shortened 2025. Cleveland has not committed to Deshaun Watson and has the No. 1 overall pick in 2027 trade ammunition.
When does the draft happen?
Mid-July, typically the second Wednesday. The exact date is set within two weeks of the application deadline. Teams submit blind bids by round, with the highest round bid winning the player. Round-3 bids have been the typical winning floor for QBs in recent supplemental drafts. The 2026 supplemental draft would be the first in two years; the 2024 and 2025 cycles had no participants.
Players in this story
Sources
- CBS Sports: NFL sets supplemental draft deadline for Brendan Sorsby
- Pro Football Network: Brendan Sorsby scouting report
- Sports Illustrated: Evaluating the idea of taking Sorsby in the supplemental draft
