The last time a quarterback who sustained a full career at the position and was taken in the NFL’s Supplemental Draft was 1992. The Washington Redskins were coming off a Super Bowl victory led by Mark Rypien, Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas won MVP, and Chuck Noll coached his last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That summer, the New York Giants used the first round pick of the Supplemental Draft on quarterback Dave Brown of Duke, who went on to start 60 games over a ten-year career. Since then, just 21 players have been taken in the league’s “second draft” with the majority of them being day three picks (12). Next month, Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby will be there for the taking amidst a controversial offseason that found him in the spotlight for gambling issues which included placing bets on games and teams he was a part of. By many, it is considered the Cardinal Sin of sports and following a ruling handed down by the NCAA that would forbid him from playing for the Red Raiders in 2026, the legal system got involved and opened a pathway to him playing for the national champion contender.
The dialogue behind the ruling and politics behind it can be discussed elsewhere. Here at Ourlads, we are going to break down his tape as if we were inserting him into our Draft Guide. Sorsby could have come out in the 2026 Draft and our scouting process was underway until he announced he would return to school. We picked up where we left off in December after a strong season for Cincinnati and prior to the transfer to Texas Tech. Here is a breakdown of the 22-year old who began his career at Indiana in 2022 as if it were in the 2025 Ourlads Draft Guide:
Cincinnati - 6030 | 235 (e)
Three-year starter. Denton, TX. Spent two seasons at Indiana prior to transferring to Cincinnati in 2024. All-Big 12 in 2025. Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech for 2026 but off-field concerns forced him into the Supplemental Draft. He is both big and athletic with an excellent feel in traffic, both in and out of the pocket. He plays on time and understands the blend of patience to allow things to develop while maintaining urgency in his decision making. The arm talent is impressive across the board but the lack of consistency and fact he finished with a sub-.500 record leaves a lot of questions in his projection. Dual threat scored 81 touchdowns (59 through the air, 22 on the ground) over the course of 31 starts with low turnover numbers. Can escape trouble and create on his own, showing the ability to consistently place the ball accurately both off-schedule and off-platform. Excellent ball handling on RPO’s and play action. Cut down on his fumbles in 2025 with better ball protection tactics, where he had zero fumbles on dropbacks. Fires the ball out from the same release point with snappy power. Will throw anticipation passes over the middle. Can throw to a spot, not just an open target. Will stand tall and strong with pressure bearing down. Can break tackles and will deliver knockback blows to tacklers. Above average accuracy to all levels, both with feet planted and on rollouts. Poor success rate on deep balls. Completed just 34% of his 20+ yard passes, which would have ranked last in the 2026 Draft class. Will often put too much loft on his intermediate throws. Too much fading away when it is not necessary. Needs more lower body involvement and more consistent footwork. Does not always show awareness of backside coverage, notably deep. Will forecast his throws for too long at times. Will need to prove he is past his immature off-field decision making. Sorsby has enough arm talent, ball protection, and success to project a potential starter at the next level but it has yet to all come together despite 30+ starts which creates extra risk around his future. 3rd-4th round.
To be clear, Sorsby will be in an NFL training camp this summer. The team that bids and wins the rights to him will lose that round-pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The Ourlads' Depth Charts can put some clarity on to the players in this situation. Without going too deep, here are the top five most likely destinations for Sorsby while considering it unlikely he will be a part of that team’s plans in 2026 but he will need to take a spot on the 53-man roster.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Baker Mayfield, Jake Browning, Connor Bazelak, Jalon Daniels (R)
Mayfield has put a training camp deadline on his contract with the club. According to him, they are not close to an agreement. If the two do not agree to a long-term deal by then, Mayfield is going to be a free agent in March which would make this one of the most vulnerable quarterback rooms in the NFL. And the chances are, they won’t be picking high next April. Adding Sorsby and letting him sit in the number three role could be an ideal scenario for both sides.
Miami Dolphins:
Malik Willis, Quinn Ewers, Cam Miller, Mark Gronowski (R)
Malik Willis is obviously fully endorsed by new leadership in Miami but there is still a lot of unknown surrounding his potential to lead an NFL offense. He has six starts in four years under his belt and has broken the 200-yard mark just twice. The team can easily get out of his contract after the 2027 season and it would be nice to have someone in the wings just in case who can also replace any of the backups on their depth chart as soon as this season once he learns the offense.
Detroit Lions:
Jared Goff, Teddy Bridgewater, Luke Altmyer (R)
Goff is obviously the top dog and adding Sorsby would be more about the backup role with the very-long term approach to the position. Bridgewater, signed to a one year deal by the way, has thrown 15 passes since the end of the 2022 season. Altmyer was picked up as an undrafted free agent which makes Sorsby’s initial place on this roster easy to envision. The Lions would sleep a lot better at night with him as the number two guy in 2027 than shopping for one in the offseason for multiple reasons.
Los Angeles Chargers:
Justin Herbert, Trey Lance, DJ Uiagalelei
Both backup quarterbacks are going to be free agents after the 2026 season. With Herbert’s injury history and the fact all contenders need to have an answer at that number two role, Sorsby would have a place in Los Angeles. While he would not be taken to start for the Chargers anytime soon, it could give the offense some continuity in the quarterback room rather than recycling through different one-year guys without any real upside.
New York Jets:
Geno Smith, Cade Klubnik (R), Brady Cook, Bailey Zappe
Only Klubnik and Cook are signed beyond the 2026 season. The fact this regime just used a fourth rounder on Klubnik makes this a shaky proposal, as neither he nor Sorsby could be safely stashed on the practice squad. And do the Jets really want to be one play away from choosing which of the two rookie backups should march on to the field? Or do they stick to the plan of waiting until the 2027 NFL Draft for their long term answer?