Andrew Buller-Russ
Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby may never get to suit up in a college football game with his new team after transferring from Cincinnati. Now, after betting on several games while previously playing for the Indiana Hoosiers, it’s trending in the direction that Sorsby will lose his remaining college eligibility.
If so, graduating to the NFL may be his best option, that is, if Sorsby intends to continue his football career, which is the expectation.
Of course, since the 2026 NFL Draft has already passed, Sorsby’s arrival into the NFL gets a bit complicated. Like all other prospects intending to graduate to the NFL, Sorsby wouldn’t be a free agent. He’d enter a draft pool.
Though, this one is the supplemental draft. It’s a rarely-used option available to players who, for whatever reason, aren’t able to play college football in the upcoming season. The last time a player has been selected in the NFL’s supplemental draft came in 2019, but other, very successful players, such as Josh Gordon, have utilized this tool before, too.
If Sorsby is headed for the supplemental draft, the question then becomes which team(s) are interested, and what 2027 draft pick they’d be willing to use on the troubled QB prospect.
According to NFL insider Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports, if Sorsby were to enter the supplemental draft, he’s likely to be a first or second-round selection.
“Multiple sources inside the league tell me if Brendan Sorsby is unable to regain eligibility for the ’26 college season & forced to enter a supplemental draft, he will be a late 1st/early 2nd round pick depending on the order. Presently Sorsby is graded higher than Arch Manning by several area scouts as we head towards the season.”
Tony Pauline on Brendan Sorsby
Pauline’s verbiage is a bit weird here. Teams go into the supplemental draft knowing that if they want a player, they submit a bid, saying they’re willing to spend a 2027 pick in a specific round (third round for example) to select Sorsby. If no other team says they’re willing to part with a pick in the second or first round under this example, then Sorsby would be awarded to the highest bidder.
Yet, things get a bit tricky when there are multiple teams willing to spend, say, a third-round pick on the same player. That’s when the NFL turns to a weighted lottery involving a tiered system separating non-playoff teams from those who made the postseason last year. But all that plays out behind the scenes, meaning we wouldn’t know which team will be awarded with Sorsby until the NFL releases the information.
Either way, it’s clear that Sorsby is viewed as a top quarterback prospect, regardless of his past trouble.
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