Nobody thought that Brendan Sorsby’s last year at college would take such a dark turn. After turning heads at Cincinnati, Sorsby came to Texas Tech for a better chance at making it to the NFL. Instead, his future now hangs in limbo, with his eligibility up in the air following his involvement in a gambling scandal. But there is a thin silver lining in his case: the supplemental draft.

The NFL last held a supplemental draft in 2023. But discussions around it have picked up once again in light of the Brendan Sorsby controversy. Since it was found that the QB bet on his own team (Indiana), the NCAA could now render him permanently ineligible. That would mean his entire year would go to waste, and the NFL draft has already wrapped up. Sorsby is, unfortunately, in dire need of some opportunity to save what could be a promising football career otherwise.

That is why he needs the supplemental draft. According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, “But I would just say if Brendan Sorsby goes into the supplemental draft, which would require, again,  the NCAA to rule before the end of June, before the supplemental draft, and him to decide to not follow through on legal options, if he goes into the supplemental draft, we are probably going to have the highest drafted supplemental draft player in decades, and teams are going to be balancing out everything you just said.”

But what exactly is the draft process?

What is the NFL supplemental draft?

The supplemental draft first started back in the year 1977. It is an avenue for players to hope for an NFL opportunity after suddenly losing college eligibility. This can happen because of academic or disciplinary issues. To enter the supplemental draft, players must apply and get approval from the NFL league office.

The draft is also only held when eligible players are available.  In 2023, the last time it was organized, only two players were eligible. But none of them were selected by teams. The last time a player was picked in the supplemental draft was in 2019, when the Arizona Cardinals selected DB Jalen Thompson. He had to seek this route because the NCAA took away his last season of eligibility after purchasing a non-steroid, over-the-counter supplement that is banned by the organization.

But Thompson was able to make his mark in the league because of this supplemental draft. He has been a steady presence for the Cardinals since 2019 to 2025, and is now under a three-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

How does the supplemental draft work?

The NFL Supplemental Draft used an order designed by a lottery system, and then by how teams performed in the previous season. It is split into three groups. The first group includes teams with six or fewer wins, and the second has the rest of the non-playoff teams. The third group includes the 14 playoff teams. Which group goes first is randomly decided.

Teams then decide if they want a player and submit a bid for a specific round, like in the normal draft. If more than one team bids on the same player in the same round, the team that has the earlier draft position gets the player. It takes around 10 minutes to conduct the entire event.

If a team picks a player in the supplemental draft, it must give up its pick in that same round in the next regular NFL Draft.

The NFL Supplemental Draft usually takes place in the summer. and is held before training camps begin. More specifically, it happens on or before the seventh day ahead of the first day of training camp.

Sorsby will still have to wait for the NCAA’s ruling on his case, which has no timeline as of now. And if he misses the supplemental draft window too, his dream will be pushed back inexplicably farther.