To no surprise, the New York Jets did not select a quarterback high in the 2026 NFL draft. While many have assumed the team will take a franchise signal-caller with their top pick in next year’s draft, Gang Green may not have to wait until then.
Per SI’s Albert Breer, Texas Tech transfer quarterback Brandon Sorsby is a legitimate candidate to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft.
Sorsby is currently under investigation by the NCAA for allegedly placing thousands of bets dating back to 2022. Subsequently, he has checked into a treatment program for gambling addiction.
This makes it highly likely that Sorsby, who signed a $5 million NIL deal with Texas Tech for the 2027 season, will lose his NCAA eligibility. That is where the supplemental draft comes into play.
The supplemental draft started in 1977 and was intended for players whose collegiate eligibility was affected and who did not enter the NFL draft. While there hasn’t been a supplemental draft since 2019, the order is determined by a weighted lottery divided into three groups based on a team’s previous-season record.
Teams with six or fewer wins get the highest priorities, followed by other non-playoff teams, and lastly the playoff teams. Organizations bid on players in the draft using draft picks in next year’s NFL draft.
Sorsby was expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in next year’s stacked class. In 12 games at Cincinnati last season, he completed 61.6% of his passes for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 155.1 passer rating.
“From an arm talent standpoint, some of the stuff he does with his arm is similar, and I hate to say it, you hate to make this comparison, to [Patrick] Mahomes and Caleb [Williams],” an NFC coordinator told Breer.
The Jets may have an opportunity to add Sorsby in July at a much cheaper rate than what he could go for in next year’s NFL draft. What they must consider, though, is his ability worth the off-field issues?
