What is the NFL Supplemental Draft? All You Need to Know About the 2026 Supplemental Draft

No player has been selected in the NFL supplemental draft since 2019, but a talented quarterback will enter it this year, where he's widely expected to be selected.

Brendan Sorsby's case has been widely covered, and despite a court ruling him eligible to play for Texas Tech in the upcoming 2026 college football season, the former Cincinnati star will instead hope to be picked in the supplemental draft.

He still has to be declared eligible by the NFL, and his polarizing case will certainly hurt his stock, but there's no doubt that he's the highest-touted prospect to enter the supplemental draft in more than a decade.

Sorsby threw for over 5,613 yards and 45 touchdowns in his two seasons at Cincinnati, while adding another 1,027 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. Prior to being with the Bearcats, he was with Indiana for two years.

The signal-caller was projected to be a potential first or second-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, and many think he would've been picked if he declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. He had until June 22 to make a decision to either enter the supplemental draft or try and return to college ball.

What is the NFL Supplemental Draft?

The supplemental draft is only held when there is a player or players that, under various circumstances, are ruled ineligible by the NCAA for the upcoming college football season and did not enter the main NFL draft in the spring.

Like the regular draft, there are seven rounds. If a team selects a player in the supplemental draft, their corresponding selection in the same round of next year's NFL draft is forfeited.

For example, the last player to be picked in the supplemental draft is Jalen Thompson - a fifth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. That selection meant the franchise forfeited their fifth-rounder in the 2020 NFL draft.

The supplemental draft order is different compared to the NFL draft. In the supplemental draft, the order is divided into three groups, per Front Office Sports:

• Teams with six or fewer wins in the previous season

• Remaining teams that missed the postseason

• 14 playoff teams

The order within each group is randomly selected.

The rookie wage scale is the same as the standard NFL draft, with first-round contracts carrying a much higher value than second or third-round picks. This means that any team considering picking Sorsby in the supplemental draft will have to weigh his potential contract into their decision.

Any player that enters the supplemental draft and goes undrafted immediately becomes an undrafted free agent and is free to sign with any of the 32 teams.

When is the 2026 Supplemental Draft?

The 2026 supplemental draft does not have a set date yet, but it is typically held in July. The NFL needs to approve the player's eligibility before the supplemental draft is scheduled.

Notable Supplemental Draft Selections in NFL History

While being a rare occurrence on the NFL calendar, the supplemental draft has produced plenty of high-level NFL players.

In fact, there have been eight players drafted in the supplemental draft that were selected for Pro Bowls in their careers:

• Bernie Kosar (QB at Miami FL, 1985 1st round, Cleveland Browns)

• Cris Carter (WR at Ohio State, 1987 4th round, Philadelphia Eagles)

• Bobby Humphrey (RB at Alabama, 1989 1st round, Denver Broncos)

• Rob Moore (WR at Syracuse, 1990 1st round, New York Jets)

• Mike Wahle (OT at Navy, 1998 2nd round, Green Bay Packers)

• Jamal Williams (DT at Oklahoma State, 1998 2nd round, San Diego Chargers)

• Ahmad Brooks (LB at Virginia, 2006 3rd round, Cincinnati Bengals)

• Josh Gordon (WR at Baylor, 2012 2nd round, Cleveland Browns)

Cris Carter is the only player ever selected in a supplemental draft to make the Hall-of-Fame.

The most recent supplemental draft was former Washington State safety Jalen Thompson in the fifth round by the Arizona Cardinals.

The most recent quarterback selected in a supplemental draft was Terrelle Pryor (2011, 3rd round by the Oakland Raiders out of Ohio State).

Read the latest NFL news and college sports news on site.