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The Supplemental Draft is a selection event held sporadically after the annual NFL Draft in April. It is not an annual event. In fact, it hasn’t been put on since 2023 and no players were taken in the most recent edition.
The last player drafted in the event was Jalen Thompson in 2019. He was taken by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round. That is likely to change in 2026.
Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has filed for the NFL Supplemental Draft. He leaves the university amid a sports betting scandal that has threatened his eligibility.
If the league chooses to go through with the event, he should be the next player taken. Sorsby could become the next pro star to overcome a tumultuous end to his NCAA career and shine at the next level.
12 Notable Players Selected in the NFL Supplemental Draft.
The first Supplemental Draft was held in 1977. Since then, 46 players have been selected through the process.
The event is reserved for college players who have seen circumstances change around eligibility in the months following the typical NFL Draft. Held in the summer, it gives them another chance to sign with a professional team after missing out on the first round.
Here, we’ll take a look at some of the biggest names coming through the supplemental draft, as well as their reasons for leaving college.
Bernie Kosar (1985)
Kosar was a star quarterback at the University of Miami in the early 1980s. He led the Hurricanes to a national championship as a redshirt freshman.
As a third-year sophomore, he finished sixth in the NCAA in passing. He also graduated early. Due to the family’s financial difficulties, he chose to forgo his remaining eligibility and move on to the NFL. He did so while assuring that he would return home to Ohio.
Kosar finished his spring semester. He entered the Supplemental Draft, where the Cleveland Browns had the first pick. The passer signed a 5-year deal with the team worth $5.2 million.
Cleveland won the AFC Central Division in each of Kosar’s first three seasons. They made the playoffs in his first five campaigns. He remains one of the most successful players selected in the Supplemental Draft.
Brian Bosworth (1987)
Bosworth is a University of Oklahoma Hall of Famer who led the Sooners to a national title in 1985. However, he was dismissed from the team after the ’86 season.
“The Boz” tested positive for steroids prior to the Orange Bowl. He would miss the game before being disqualified. As a junior, he was eligible for the NFL. He did not initially enter the NFL Draft that spring, but opted to enter the ’87 Supplemental Draft that summer. He was selected in the first round.
Bosworth signed a 10-year deal with the Seahawks worth $11 million. Unfortunately, his time as a professional was short-lived. Injuries derailed his career. He retired after three seasons.
Chris Carter (1987)
Carter was a star at Ohio State in the mid-1980s. The wideout led the Big 10 in touchdown catches second. He led the league in receiving as a junior. He wouldn’t get a chance to play as a senior.
Carter signed with an agent after his third college season. He was ruled out as a result. After missing out on the NFL Draft, he attended the Supplemental event a few months later. He would be included in the same class as Brian Bosworth.
The pass catcher signed a 4-year deal with the Eagles worth $910,000 after being selected in the fourth round. He amassed nearly 14,000 yards as a receiver over a 16-year professional career with Philadelphia, Minnesota and Miami.
Carter remains the only player selected in the supplemental draft to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bobby Humphrey (1989)
Humphrey was an All-American at Alabama in the late 1980s. He led the SEC in rushing and touchdowns as a sophomore, and in carries as a junior.
His senior season was derailed by injury. He opted to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL.
Humphrey declared for the Supplemental Draft in 1989. He was selected in the first round by the Denver Broncos, where he would shine for two seasons.
The running back started 26 games and amassed more than 2,350 yards in his first two years. He earned a Pro Bowl invitation in 1990. Unfortunately, injuries and off-field issues led to him leaving the league in 1993.
Steve Walsh (1989)
Walsh is a member of the University of Miami Hall of Fame. He led the Hurricanes to a national championship in his first year as a starter.
The quarterback then led the nation in touchdown passes during the 1988 season. He won 23 of his 24 games under center.
Despite being eligible for the NFL Draft after his third season, he missed the deadline to enter. He then joined the Supplemental Draft class in the summer.
Walsh was selected first overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 1989. He would go on to a 10-year professional career with the Cowboys, Bears, Saints, Bucs, Rams and Colts, reaching the playoffs four times.
Rob Moore (1990)
Moore played three seasons at Syracuse, recording 2,122 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns. He finished fourth in the NCAA in touchdown catches as a sophomore and 10th in the nation in receiving yards as a junior.
The wideout graduated after his third year at the school, with the semester ending after the NFL Draft. He chose to enter the Supplemental Draft later that season and was selected first overall by the New York Jets.
Moore signed a 4-year deal worth $4 million. He went on to play 10 seasons in the NFL with the Jets and Cardinals. His best campaign came in 1997 when he led the NFL in receiving.
Moore’s career ended after the 1999 season. He gained nearly 9,400 yards and caught 49 touchdowns.
Dave Brown (1992)
Brown spent four years at Duke, three of which saw significant playing time. In 1989, he helped the Blue Devils win a share of the ACC title. For the next two years, he would hold the reins of the offense.
In 1991, he led the league in passing and touchdowns. He had planned to return for his final season in 1992 before his parents broke some career-changing news.
The New York Giants were interested. They knew their chances of selecting him in the 1993 NFL Draft were slim since he was a highly sought after prospect. So they convinced him to educate himself and join the ’92 Supplemental Draft.
Brown was taken with the first overall pick. He would spend the next six years in the Big Apple before finishing his 10-year career in Arizona.
Mike Wahle (1998)
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Wahle is a former Navy offensive lineman who entered the 1992 NFL Supplemental Draft. He spent three seasons with the Midshipmen before losing his eligibility.
Wahle tested positive for steroids. It cost him his senior year. He was eventually selected with the first pick of the second round by the Green Bay Packers.
The guard would go on to play 11 seasons in the NFL with the Packers, Panthers and Seahawks. He started 138 games and made a Pro Bowl. He retired after the 2008 campaign.
Jamal Williams (1998)
Williams spent three seasons with the Oklahoma State Cowboys before being ruled academically ineligible for his senior year. The defensive tackle then turned his attention to the NFL.
Williams entered the Supplemental Draft where he was selected with the second pick in the second round by the Chargers. He would end up in the organization’s Hall of Fame when all was said and done.
The lineman played 13 seasons, 12 of which came in San Diego. He recorded 443 tackles and made three Pro Bowls. He would retire after his only season with the Broncos in 2010.
Ahmad Brooks (2006)
Brooks was a three-year starter at the University of Virginia between 2003-2005. He led the team in tackles as a freshman with 117. He then earned All-America honors as a sophomore.
Brooks’ junior year was cut short by injury. He played in the team’s final six games after recovering from offseason knee surgery. It would be his final season in Charlottesville.
The linebacker was dismissed by the Cavaliers for off-field issues before his senior campaign. That got him entered in the NFL Supplemental Draft.
Brooks was selected in the third round by the Bengals. He signed a 4-year deal worth $2.25 million. He would go on to play 11 professional seasons, spending time in Cincinnati, San Francisco and Green Bay.
The defensive back racked up 391 tackles and made a Pro Bowl.
Terrelle Pryor (2011)
Pryor played three seasons at Ohio State University, where he was an all-conference performer. The quarterback led the Big 10 in touchdown passes as a junior.
During that offseason, he was involved in a memorabilia sales scandal that sparked an NCAA investigation. He was suspended five games of his senior year as punishment. Instead of sitting on the bench in Columbus, he entered the NFL Supplemental Draft.
Pryor was selected in the third round by the Oakland Raiders. He signed a 4-year deal worth $2.75 million. The NFL forced him to serve the five-game suspension handed down by the NCAA. He would join the team in Game 6 of the 2011 season.
Pryor made the jump from quarterback to wide receiver in 2015, a move that proved beneficial in extending his career. He left the league in 2018 totaling nearly 2,000 yards as a passer, more than 1,500 as a receiver and 646 as a rusher.
Josh Gordon (2012)
Gordon played two seasons at Baylor, where he led the Big 12 in rushing yards. catch as a sophomore. He had 714 yards and seven touchdowns in his final season with the Bears.
A failed drug test led to his dismissal from the team prior to his junior year. He transferred to Utah but did not play football in 2011. He then entered the 2012 Supplemental Draft.
Gordon was selected in the second round by the Browns and signed a 4-year deal worth $5.3 million. He would find great NFL success in his first two seasons. The wideout led the league in receiving during the 2013 campaign. Unfortunately, failed drug tests would derail his career.
After starting 27 games in his first two seasons, he would make just 37 starts over the next eight years. He took his final snap in 2022 before spending time in the XFL.
