With the news of former Texas Tech quaterback Brendan Sorsby seemingly on his way to the Supplemental Draft, it got us thinking here at Essentially Sports, who are the best players taken in the Supplemental Draft? There’s only been one Hall of Famer taken, but there’s been a ton of quality players. Here are some of the best players who have been taken in the Supplemental Draft.

1. WR Cris Cater – Philadelphia Eagles

Cris Carter was taken in the fourth round of the 1987 Supplemental Draft after being suspended for singing with an agent before his senior season. He went on to have one of the greatest careers the NFL has ever seen and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

Carter spent his first three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before becoming a Minnesota Viking, where he did most of his damage in his career. His best season came in 1994, when he was a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro, and he finished fourth in the offensive player of the year voting. He had 122 receptions for 1,256 yards and seven touchdowns. A year later, he led the league with 17 touchdowns and was a second-team all-pro.

2. DT Jamal Williams – San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers spent a second-round pick to take Jamal Williams in the 1998 Supplemental Draft after he was declared academically ineligible before his senior season. Williams, out of Oklahoma State, spent 13 years in the NFL. He started 138 games, had 345 solo tackles, 55 tackles for loss and 13 sacks throughout his career. 12 of those years were with the Chargers, and the very last was with the Denver Broncos.

Williams was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro throughout his career. He was named to the first-team all-pro team in back-to-back years in the 2005-06 seasons. Williams never dominated as a pass rusher, but his size, being 6-foot-3 and 348 pounds, is what kept him on the field in a more dominant running era. He was a prominent nose tackle, making him a valuable piece in the middle of a defense.

3. WR Rob Moore – New York Jets

This is the first player on this list who was taken in the first round of the Supplemental Draft. Rob Moore was selected by the New York Jets in the first round after graduating from college with a year of eligibility remaining. He didn’t declare for the regular draft in time.

Moore was a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro during his career. He had over 9,300 yards and 49 receiving touchdowns in his career, and led the NFL in receiving yards in 1997 with 1,584. Moore quickly burst onto the scene, being selected to the 1990 NFL All-Rookie Team. He spent the first five years of his career on the Jets and the last five on the Arizona Cardinals, where he was named to the only All-Pro team of his career.

4. WR Josh Gordon – Cleveland Browns

Josh Gordon very well may be one of the biggest “what ifs” in NFL history. He was a second-round pick in the 2012 Supplemental Draft by the Cleveland Browns after failing a marijuana test in college. Gordon spent the majority of his NFL career in and out of the league due to violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.

A quick timeline of the suspense. In 2013, he was suspended for two games. In 2014, he was suspended for the entire season, and his suspension was later reduced to 10. In 2015, he was suspended for the entire season, and his petition for reinstatement in 20116 was denied. He returned in 2017 for the final five games of the season. He would later get suspended in 2018, 2019, and 2021 for the same reason: substance abuse.

Gordon quickly showed the NFL the type of talent he could be in 2013. He missed two games during that season and still led the league in receiving yards with 1,646, and was named to the first-team All-Pro and the Pro Bowl.

5. LB Ahmad Brooks – Cincinnati Bengals

Ahmad Brooks is the definition of value when it comes to the Supplemental Draft. He was selected in the third round by the Cincinnati Bengals after being dismissed from his college team. Brooks played in 145 games in his career, having 104 starts. He finished his career with 305 solo tackles, 77 tackles for loss and 12 forced fumbles.

Brooks was named to the Pro Bowl in the 2012 season, when he recorded 8.5 sacks and 52 solo tackles. He started his career in Cincinnati, then spent eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before finishing his career in Green Bay.

6. OG Mike Wahle – Green Bay Packers

Just like Brooks, Mike Wahle was a tremendous value pick in the Supplemental Draft. Whale played in 152 games and started 138 games throughout his career. He started every game he appeared in from 2001 to 2008.  Wahle was selected in the second round of the 1998 Supplemental Draft by the Green Bay Packers after the NCAA suspended him in his senior season for testing positive for steroids.

Wahle made one Pro Bowl throughout his career, but as mentioned above, was a reliable starter during his time in the NFL.

7. QB Bernie Kosar – Cleveland Browns

Bernie Kosar is the second player on this list being taken in the first round of the Supplemental Draft. The Cleveland Browns took him in the 1985 Supplemental Draft, and Kosar spent nine seasons with the franchise. He was named to one Pro Bowl during his career and won a Super Bowl as a backup on the Dallas Cowboys.

Kosar started 108 career games and threw for 23,301 yards with 124 passing touchdowns. He spent one season with the Cowboys as a backup, then spent the last three as a backup for the Miami Dolphins before retiring after the 1996 season.

8. LB Brian Bosworth – Seattle Seahawks

Just like Gordon above, Brian Bosworth is another “what if” on this list. He played three seasons in the NFL and was taken in the first round of the 1987 Supplemental Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Bosworth was dismissed from Oklahoma and was eligible to be chosen in the 1987 draft, but didn’t declare before the deadline. He decided to wait for the Supplemental draft, for which he was eligible due to graduating a year early.

Bosworth played in 24 career games and was named to the 1987 All-Rookie Team. A shoulder injury in the 1988 season ended his career.

9. Jalen Thompson – Arizona Cardinals

Jalen Thompson is the most recognizable name to a lot of fans on this list due to being the most recent player taken in the Supplemental Draft. The Cardinals took him in the fifth round of the 2019 Supplemental Draft after he was declared ineligible for his senior season after a NCAA rules violation.

Thompson hasn’t made a Pro-Bowl or All-Pro team yet, but he’s been a reliable option in the secondary for most of his career. His best season came in 2023, when he had four interceptions, nine passes defended and 59 solo tackles. He signed with the Cowboys this past offseason and looks to be a major part of the Christian Parker defense.