Potential landing spot for Brendan Sorsby via the NFL Supplemental Draft
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LUBBOCK, Texas — Yesterday, former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby mutually parted ways with the program and will apply to enter the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft. The news came as a surprise after a Lubbock judge issued an injunction reinstating his eligibility for the 2026 college football season, following a gambling scandal that rocked the college football landscape last week.
The last time the NFL held a supplemental draft was in 2019, when safety Jalen Thompson was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round. With Sorsby now set to head to the next level, you may find yourself asking what's next. How does the Supplemental Draft work?
The supplemental draft works similarly yet differently to the spring draft, which is the more well-known of the two. In the spring, the draft order is set at the end of the regular season, based on a team's overall record. Now, some teams decide to move up and down, which, of course, causes the order to change. However, there is a set order across the seven rounds and all 257 picks.
In the supplemental draft, record does still matter; teams are separated into three different groups: teams with six wins or fewer, non-playoff teams, and playoff teams. To decide the order, those tiers are weighted into a lottery system in which teams blind bid for picks in the supplemental draft. What teams bid, however, is a future pick in next year's draft. So if a team picked a player in the first round of the supplemental draft, that team would lose a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
With that said, despite the summer Sorsby has had, NFL teams should still have a high interest in the 22-year-old signal caller after three very strong years in college. Here are three potential suitors who could bring in Sorsby at the next level.
Potential suitors to draft Sorsby in the supplemental draft.
Let's take out two teams first, who very well have the funds to take Sorsby in the supplemental draft, have very crowded signal-caller rooms, and have a clear path to an ultimate successor via the draft as soon as next year. Those teams are the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns. Despite both teams holding multiple first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft while also historically struggling to find a permanent answer at quarterback.
Starting with the Jets, who boast three first-round picks in 2027 for now. However, the likelihood of the Jets, let alone any team, parting ways with a first-round pick in the supplemental draft feels very slim and unlikely despite the inventory New York has.
In combination with the Jets trading for Geno Smith in the offseason, drafting Clemson quarterback Cade Klubinak late in the draft this spring, and potentially being in contention for some of the top prospects in the 2027 draft based on competitiveness, which is expected to be loaded with quarterback talent. The feeling around the Jets taking a flyer on Sorsby would add to a room that is seemingly just a blink away from potentially getting a new quarterback in the room to build around.
It's the same “logic” when it comes to Cleveland; however, ahead of mandatory minicamp, the Browns QB room is already close to full with a potential starter for the future in the mix. As it stands, Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson are battling for the starting job under first-year head coach Todd Monken. Cleveland is still holding onto former Oregon quarterback Dillion Gabriel and drafted Arkansas signal caller Talen Green in the spring.
Whether or not the Browns will be picking at the top of the draft order in 2027 based on competitiveness is still off course and well a ways away. However, with the Browns holding a second first-round pick from the blockbuster deal of superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett to the LA Rams also adds another need to the roster heading into the 2027 draft.
Nonetheless, it just feels like with the potential opportunity to be at the top of the order next year combined with the supply and demand, just doesn't feel all there to land Sorsby this summer.
Spot #1: Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are in total overhaul mode after hiring Head Coach Jeff Hafley in January. The quarterback position for the Dolphins is one of those significant changes in South Beach this offseason. Miami moved on from former starter and 2020 first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa during the offseason, bringing in former Packers and Titans quarterback Malik Willis on a 3-year, $67.5 million deal. Willis is expected to be the starter heading into Week 1.
Miami also has former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and NDSU rookie quarterback Cam Miller, whom the Dolphins took in the fifth round of the draft. Nonetheless, the entire room has fewer than 30 games played combined.
Sorsby, of course would add to the inexperience of the room, but the driving point to this being a potential team he could go to is adding to the talent of the room that has a lot of question marks surrounding inexperience.
With so much inexperience in the room for the Dolphins, there is no telling how well or how worse the peak talent of the room will pan out in the long run. Miami could very well take a flyer on Sorsby to compete in the room to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
Spot #2: Minnesota Vikings
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell finds himself in the midst of a quarterback battle between former Cardinals signal caller Kyler Murray, who the team brought in free agency, and last year's previous Week 1 starter, JJ McCarthy who is heading into year three as a pro.
With that said, adding Sorsby as a younger option to develop behind both in a QB3 role currently held by Carson Wentz feels like a premier landing spot for Sorsby, given his skill set.
O’Connell has gained a reputation as a savant on offense with a high reputation for helping develop quarterbacks. After Sorsby threw for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns to five interceptions, taking a flyer with a day two or three to add to a room in which Murray has only played in double-digit games once across the last three seasons. With McCarthy only appearing in 10 games after missing his entire rookie year and battling injury throughout most of last season. Despite having a room that may seem locked for the future with the strength of the NFC North on full display last season, the Vikings have a potential spot to stash Sorsby in a nice situation.
Spot #3: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Since arriving in Tampa, former first-round pick Baker Mayfield has been playing some of the best football of his career for the Buccaneers. With that said, as it stands right now, there is not a clear long-term successor to Mayfield for Head Coach Todd Bowles and General Manager Jason Licht. Now, Mayfield is still only 31 with seemingly a plethora of years left; however, his backup, Jake Browning, whom the team brought in during the offseason, is now just three days younger than the former Oklahoma and Tech signal caller.
Tampa Bay does have former Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak heading into his second year in the pros. They also just added former Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels to the roster via a three-year UDFA deal. So why may they add Sorsby via the supplemental draft?
There seemingly is no other option with Sorsby already in the room. The conversations around Sorsby expected him, if he entered either this year's or next year's spring draft, to be a potential first-rounder. If Tampa Bay decides to bid for Sorsby in the supplemental draft and acquire him seemingly as a potential successor to Baker in the long run, it's yet another primary situation that does have the possibility of Sorsby landing in.
As of now, the NFL has not set a date for the Supplemental Draft, which is expected to take place sometime in July.
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Josh Ortega is a beat writer covering Texas Tech On SI. Josh earned a degree from the University of North Texas in Sports Journalism and Communications. At UNT, Josh appeared on air, covering both collegiate and professional athletics for the on-campus television station North Texas Television. Ortega brings in-depth analysis combined with a passion for storytelling, delivering fans insight beyond the final whistle.
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