Most football fans know the NFL Draft inside and out: three days every April, 32 teams, seven rounds, millions of viewers. But there is a second, far more obscure draft that most fans have never seen, one that happens quietly in the summer and often passes with no players selected at all. It is called the NFL supplemental draft, and it exists for a specific reason that has nothing to do with the spring spectacle. So what exactly is the supplemental draft, and how does it work?
The topic is suddenly relevant again because of Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who in June 2026 became the most prominent player in years to apply for entry, after a college eligibility dispute. To understand why that is such a big deal, you first need to understand how this unusual process actually functions.
The chart below breaks down the supplemental draft: how it works, who’s eligible, and the notable players who came through it. Take a look, then we’ll explain each piece in detail.
Contents
What Is the NFL Supplemental Draft?
The NFL supplemental draft is a second, smaller draft held in the summer, after the regular NFL Draft in April. Its entire purpose is to give a path into the league to players who, for one reason or another, were not eligible to be selected in the spring. First held in 1977, it is essentially a safety valve: if a player’s circumstances change after the main draft has already passed, the supplemental draft gives teams a way to acquire him rather than forcing him to wait an entire year. The very first player ever taken was Al Hunter, a running back from Notre Dame, selected by the Seattle Seahawks.
How the Bidding Process Works
This is where the supplemental draft differs most from the regular one. There is no familiar pick order where teams take turns. Instead, the process works like a silent auction. Each interested team submits a confidential bid, naming the round it is willing to give up to select a player. The team that bids the highest round wins that player. If two teams bid the same round, a weighted lottery, which favors teams with worse records, breaks the tie. The crucial catch is the cost: whatever round a team bids, it forfeits its pick in that same round of the following year’s regular draft. So if a team wins a player with a third-round bid, it gives up its third-round pick in next year’s April draft. That tradeoff is exactly why teams are usually cautious.
Who Is Eligible?
Eligibility has evolved over the years. From 1977 to 1990, only players who had either graduated or exhausted their college eligibility could enter. Since 1993, the NFL has also allowed players who faced other forms of adversity, including academic or disciplinary problems, to petition the league for entry. The common thread is that these are players who were not able to be part of the regular draft when it happened, whether because their eligibility status changed, they were dismissed from a program, or some other circumstance arose after April. The league reviews each petition and decides whether to grant entry.
Why It Often Has No Picks at All
One of the most unusual things about the supplemental draft is how often nothing happens. Because teams must surrender a future pick of equal value, and because the players available are usually those with red flags, teams are frequently unwilling to bid. The NFL only holds a supplemental draft in years when it has approved eligible prospects, and even then, teams can simply decline to bid on anyone. No player has been selected since safety Jalen Thompson went to the Arizona Cardinals on a fifth-round bid in 2019, and no supplemental draft has been held at all since 2023. That long quiet stretch is exactly why the process is unfamiliar to so many fans.
The Players Who Made It Matter
Despite its obscurity, the supplemental draft has produced some genuinely important NFL careers. Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter entered through it in 1987. Quarterback Bernie Kosar famously used the 1985 supplemental draft to engineer his way to his hometown Cleveland Browns. More recently, Josh Gordon came through the 2012 supplemental draft and led the entire NFL in receiving yards just one year later, and Terrelle Pryor entered in 2011 after an NCAA suspension. These cases show that, every so often, a real talent slips through this side door into the league.
The Brendan Sorsby Situation
The reason the supplemental draft is suddenly back in the headlines is Brendan Sorsby. In June 2026, the Texas Tech quarterback applied for entry after a tangled fight over his college eligibility, which stemmed from an admission that he had bet on sports, including some wagers involving his own team during his earlier time at Indiana. Rather than risk being ruled ineligible for the 2026 college season amid lawsuits and appeals, Sorsby chose to pursue the NFL through the supplemental draft. What makes his case so notable is his profile: he was considered one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal, a caliber of player who rarely uses this route. If a team bids on him, he would be the first supplemental pick since 2019, and potentially the most prominent in decades. If you enjoy these sports explainers, see our breakdown of how MLB arbitration works.
The Bottom Line
The NFL supplemental draft is the league’s quiet back door: a summer process that lets teams bid future picks on players who missed the regular draft, usually because of eligibility or disciplinary issues. It often passes with no selections at all, which is why it had faded from view, but it has occasionally delivered stars like Cris Carter and Josh Gordon. Now, with a high-profile quarterback like Brendan Sorsby entering the pool in 2026, this obscure corner of the football calendar is getting a rare moment in the spotlight.