How Cardinals Could Land Brendan Sorsby in NFL Supplemental Draft

The Arizona Cardinals have another option available for finding their quarterback of the future.

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is entering the NFL's supplemental draft later in July, which allows teams to essentially bid on a player whose eligibility changed after the typical NFL draft held in April.

Such is the case for Sorsby, who is looking to turn pro after a long back-and-forth with the NCAA over his eligibility entering 2026, which stems from gambling issues.

The Cardinals could very well turn to Sorsby in hopes of finding their answer at quarterback — but how will that work?

What is the NFL's Supplemental Draft?

46 total players have been picked in the supplemental draft, which was first held in 1977. Notable names such as Cris Carter, Bernie Kosar and Josh Gordon went in the draft.

The NFL hasn't had a player selected since 2019, where the Cardinals drafted Jalen Thompson with a fifth-round pick.

How the Supplemental Draft Works

The NFL will divide teams into three categories in a lottery system to determine the draft order:

Teams with sex or less wins from 2025
Remaining non-playoff teams
Playoff teams

The Cardinals will fall into the first group with the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Washington Commanders, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.

The order within said groups will randomize in lottery fashion, so the exact Cardinals' pick remains unknown.

From there, teams will have the opportunity to bid a draft pick on Sorsby — though the catch is, they'll lose their 2027 draft pick in that round if they ultimately get Sorsby.

In example, if the Cardinals bid a second-round pick on Sorsby and all other teams bid a third or higher, Arizona will be awarded the Texas Tech quarterback. However, the Cardinals then would not have a second-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft as a result.

NFL teams are not aware of what others are bidding, so it's possible the Cardinals may be outbid for Sorsby if they're indeed interested in him. If Arizona bids in the same round as another team, that's where the lottery order will determine who has the higher pick.

In example, if both the Cardinals and defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks put in a first-round pick for Sorsby, Arizona is higher in the draft order and thus would be awarded the player.

If the Browns finish higher in the lottery than the Cardinals and they both bid in the same round, Cleveland would get Sorsby – though Arizona would not lose the draft pick they bid.

If no team bids on Sorsby, he will be deemed a free agent and can sign with any team.

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