Cincinnati and Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is headed to the NFL’s supplemental draft. We should know within the next month whether a team will take a gamble on Sorsby, which is an unintended pun given that he college career was ended by placing sports bets on his own team.
It’s rare to see a quarterback of Sorsby’s stature available for the supplemental draft. He may be the highest profile player to hit the NFL’s late-offseason lottery in around 30 years.
t’s also rare for teams to throw their hat into the ring during the supplemental draft. There are only two active general managers across the NFL that have done it before: Les Snead of the Los Angeles Rams and Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys.
Snead’s pick of Isaiah Battle in the fifth round came in 2025. The Rams released him in September of the following year and Battle enjoyed stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks. Jones took Steve Walsh in the first round back in 1989 just months after selecting future hall of famer Troy Aikman in the traditional NFL Draft.
The last player taken in the NFL supplemental draft was Jalen Thompson in 2019. The Arizona Cardinals used a fifth rounder on the safety. There have been just 46 selections across NFL history.
But all the history goes out the window when a player like Sorsby becomes available.
Sorsby is a promising encouraging prospect whose technique must be improved from his days at Cincinnati. The hope was that better coaching and supporting cast at Texas Tech, following a high profile NIL transfer, could allow his strengths to shine and elevate him to first-round consideration in 2027. Teams can design running plays with Sorsby’s athleticism. He reminds me of Zach Wilson coming out of BYU. Someone across the NFL will see this as a worthwhile gamble, especially those who may be out of position to land a top prospect in an otherwise loaded QB class next year.
Where history does matter is the fact that Snead has done this before and the Rams are slated to attend Sorsby’s pro day. It would be head scratching to see LA take another quarterback so soon after drafting Ty Simpson in the first round this spring; however, this is a team that must stick the landing when Matthew Stafford’s playing days are done. Simpson likely would have been drafted ahead of Sorsby if both had made themselves available for the 2026 class.
Even if the Rams and Snead decide to sit out of the supplemental draft, we should appreciate the event for its rarity and acknowledge that this is one of the more interest outcomes at this stage of the NFL offseason in nearly 30 years.
