Palmer Jones

I’m a Solutions Architect specializing in B2B Supply Chain software and Applied AI.

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6 minute read

The news that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is applying for the NFL supplementary draft raised a question I didn’t know I had: there’s a whole other draft? Yes, and it’s been quietly running since 1977.

What It Actually Is

The supplementary draft is an off-cycle NFL draft held in summer (typically July) for players who lost college eligibility after the regular April draft deadline had already passed. To be eligible, a player must be at least three years removed from high school graduation and must petition the commissioner directly. Qualifying situations range from academic disqualification and NCAA suspensions to early graduation and, in Sorsby’s case, a gambling violation. If the commissioner approves the petition, the player enters the pool.

A Brief History

The supplementary draft launched in 1977, with Al Hunter (RB, Notre Dame) going to the Seattle Seahawks in the 4th round as the first-ever pick. Over roughly 50 years, only about 46 players total have been selected across approximately 25 years when the draft actually ran. The most active stretch was 1985 to 1992.

The draft’s most memorable moment came in 1985 when Bernie Kosar pulled off one of the more audacious maneuvers in pro football history. Kosar, a QB from the University of Miami who grew up a Browns fan in Youngstown, Ohio, deliberately accelerated his academics to graduate early, making himself ineligible for the regular draft window. He also never filed regular draft paperwork, meaning the supplementary draft was his only path into the league. Cleveland held the best lottery position that year (worst record from the prior season), landed the first pick, and took Kosar. He went on to make 1 Pro Bowl, throw for 23,301 career passing yards, and lead the Browns to three AFC Championship Games. The Vikings, who had traded up to the No. 1 overall pick in the regular draft expecting to take him, got nothing.

Bernie Kosar in his Cleveland Browns uniform
Bernie Kosar engineered his way to Cleveland via the 1985 supplementary draft. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

46 total players selected across roughly 50 years. Some years the draft is held but no team bids. Some years it isn’t held at all. The last player actually taken was safety Jalen Thompson (Arizona Cardinals, 5th round, 2019).

NFL Supplemental Draft picks by era Based on the complete Wikipedia list of supplemental picks. The 1984 USFL/CFL special draft is excluded.

The player pool includes some real names.

Cris Carter at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Cris Carter, the only supplemental pick in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Cris Carter came out of the 1987 supplemental draft (Eagles, 4th round) and is the only supplemental pick in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, finishing with 1,101 career receptions and 130 touchdowns. Josh Gordon entered through the 2012 supplemental draft (Browns, 2nd round) and led the entire league with 1,646 receiving yards in 2013 before a career derailed by suspensions. Brian Bosworth went in the 1st round to Seattle in 1987 and became a textbook bust.

Player Year Team Round Position Career Highlight
Al Hunter 1977 Seahawks 4th RB First supplemental pick ever
Bernie Kosar 1985 Browns 1st QB 23,301 career yards, 3 AFC Championship Games
Cris Carter 1987 Eagles 4th WR Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1,101 career catches
Brian Bosworth 1987 Seahawks 1st LB Legendary bust, retired after 3 seasons
Rob Moore 1990 Jets 1st WR Pro Bowler, 628 career catches
Jamal Williams 1998 Chargers 2nd NT 2x All-Pro, 3x Pro Bowler
Josh Gordon 2012 Browns 2nd WR 1,646 rec. yards in 2013 (led NFL)
Jalen Thompson 2019 Cardinals 5th S Current starting safety, most recent pick

A fun footnote: there was also a one-time supplemental draft in June 1984 specifically to stake rights to USFL players (the NFL expected the league to fold, which it did in 1986). That draft produced Steve Young, Reggie White, and Gary Zimmerman in a single afternoon. Three Hall of Famers. Not bad for a draft most people have never heard of.

How the Process Works

The supplementary draft runs 7 rounds, same structure as the regular draft. But the mechanics are very different from the televised spectacle in April. There’s no draft room broadcast, no commissioner at a podium, no player families in the green room. Teams submit their bids to the league office via email — the whole thing can wrap up in hours, quietly, with most fans none the wiser.

Each bid indicates which round a team is willing to use on a given player. Highest round wins (1st beats 2nd beats 3rd, and so on). If multiple teams bid the same round, the tiebreaker is a weighted lottery with the worst record getting the best odds.

The cost of making a pick is meaningful: a team that selects a player in round 2 forfeits its 2nd-round pick in the following year’s regular draft. Pick a guy in the 1st round, lose your next year’s 1st. That cost is why teams pass constantly. There’s no penalty for submitting no bid, so most teams sit on their hands for most players. If nobody bids, the player becomes an undrafted free agent immediately and can sign with any team.

The Sorsby Situation

Brendan Sorsby is a 6’3”, 235-pound dual-threat quarterback who completed 207 of 336 passes (61.6%) at Cincinnati in 2025, throwing for 2,800 yards with 27 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. The issue: he admitted to roughly $90,000 in bets over four years, including bets on his own Indiana games while he was a player there. He enrolled at Texas Tech in January 2026, but the NCAA denied reinstatement in May. He withdrew a lawsuit that had briefly won him an injunction, then applied for the supplementary draft with a June 22 deadline to complete the process.

Most evaluators project him as a 2nd-round talent by pure football ability. Whether the NFL imposes a suspension remains unclear: the Terrelle Pryor precedent (5-game suspension after the 2011 supplemental) suggests some penalty is possible, while the more recent Ra’Shaun Boutte situation (2024, no suspension) cuts the other way. More than a dozen teams are reportedly showing interest, including the Browns, Steelers, Cardinals, and Panthers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often does the supplementary draft actually happen?

A: It’s been held about 25 times in roughly 50 years, and not every year it’s held does any team actually bid. The last player taken was Jalen Thompson in 2019. The 2023 draft was held but went unbid; 2024 and 2025 saw no draft at all.

Q: What happens if no team picks a player?

A: The player becomes an undrafted free agent immediately and can sign with any team. There’s no waiting period.

Q: Do the same rookie contract rules apply?

A: Yes. Per the CBA, supplemental picks are subject to the same slotted rookie contract structure as regular draft picks at the same round.

Q: Has it ever produced a real star?

A: Cris Carter is the only supplemental pick in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Josh Gordon had an all-world season in 2013. Bernie Kosar made a Pro Bowl and went to three conference championships. The hit rate is low, but it’s not zero.

Q: What’s the cost to a team for making a pick?

A: You forfeit the same-round pick in the following year’s regular draft. Take someone in round 3, lose your next 3rd-round pick. There is no cost for passing.

If Sorsby gets selected and turns into anything, that’ll be a good story to track back to June 22. If no team bids, he signs somewhere as a UDFA and you probably forget this draft exists for another few years. Either way, it’s a weird, quiet corner of the league’s rules that’s worth knowing about.

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