How NFL supplemental draft could work for Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby in gambling investigation

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is being investigated by the NCAA for gambling.

That’s the news that emerged Monday, when the Red Raiders announced that Sorsby is taking an indefinite leave of absence to figure out a gambling addiction.

This clearly has wide-ranging implications on a number of levels, but one of the narratives that NFL analysts have already begun to discuss is the supplemental draft.

Sorsby, if he had played out the 2026 season at Texas Tech as planned, would’ve had a chance at being a first-round pick, or at least a QB drafted at some point in the early to middle rounds.

Now, it’s not clear what the next steps might be for Sorsby in college football.

Multiple football writers have already suggested on social media that Sorsby should enter the supplemental draft for the NFL.

Wait wait wait wait is Brendan Sorsby suddenly going to be a supplemental draft pick…THIS year?! https://t.co/wN5KfAnX82

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) April 27, 2026

This doesn’t seem impossible, either. There’s a bit of precedent here.

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How would it work for Brendan Sorsby to enter the NFL supplemental draft?

Essentially, a player who would’ve been eligible to be drafted anyway submits to the NFL to put their name into the supplemental draft.

At that point, teams are given a list of players on the board, and they have a bit of a reverse bidding process.

One team could say they’d spend a fifth-round pick on Sorsby. Another could say they’d use a fourth-rounder.

If the fourth-round pick was the earliest bid, that team would get Sorsby for that cost while forfeiting that round pick in the following year’s traditional draft.

Given that Brendan Sorsby is facing a possible full season loss of eligibility, you wonder if he will consider entering the NFL supplemental draft (if there is one). He did consider the draft prior to leaving Cincinnati. Also of note: Bearcats are suing Sorsby for $1 million…

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) April 27, 2026

If Sorsby went down this path, there’d be some precedent.

Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft

Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor entered the NFL supplemental draft after being handed a five-game suspension by the NCAA.

The Oakland Raiders used a third-round pick on him in 2011.

Of note to Sorsby — Pryor still had to serve his NCAA-given suspension in the NFL. The league didn’t have to do it, but chose to give Pryor an identical length punishment to what the NCAA had already ruled.

Pryor had been caught up in the Buckeyes’ memorabilia-for-cash scandal.

Sorsby’s gambling situation could be a different beast, depending on what investigations uncover.

But if he comes out relatively unscathed but still faces NCAA punishment, the supplemental draft could certainly be in play.

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