Are Supplemental Draft Picks Worth the Investment?
The risk not many are willing to take
By GregMeinholz
Each year, the NFL holds the "supplemental draft" in late July, but few pay much attention to it. In fact, sometimes, this draft is canceled and doesn't even happen. The supplemental draft is an opportunity for players whose eligibility for the NFL may have changed since the deadline of the April draft to be selected by a team. Since sometimes there are years in which there are no eligible players, the event has often been canceled, much like it has been since 2023.
Even if the supplemental draft is held, there's still no guarantee a player will be selected. The event has been held twice since, but no player has been selected since Jalen Thompson was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.
So, how does it work? Essentially, the supplemental draft is like a blind silent auction. Teams will submit blind bids on eligible players if they wish to draft them. Those bids are the highest round they'd be willing to draft that player in, 1st-7th. Whichever team bids the highest is awarded the player. If teams bid the same round, the team highest in the previous NFL draft order is awarded the player.
If players are eligible, why not take them?
The one caveat for the supplemental draft that tends to keep the activity at a minimum when players are available is the risk involved. If a team bids on and is awarded that player, they will lose that bidding draft pick in next year's NFL draft. So, if a team bids a 3rd round pick on a player and wins, they won't have a third-round pick the following year. Given that a handful of these players may come with injury or perhaps off-the-field red flags, many teams aren't willing to risk future draft picks on them.
Recently, the supplemental draft has come into the spotlight after news broke that Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby plans to apply for it. Sorsby recently came into the spotlight for being granted eligibility to play for Texas Tech in 2026 despite his admission to placing bets on collegiate sports, including wagers involving his own team, all in all totaling up to $90K. Sorsby was previously considered a likely first-round pick in 2027, so this news proves awfully intriguing as to whether some teams will pull the trigger in late July. Obviously, Sorsby comes with some behavioral red flags, so teams will have to weigh out their willingness to risk it.
Have supplemental draft picks been successful in the past?
Supplemental Draft Graduates
Though supplemental draft picks are few and far between each year, there have been some notable ones. Perhaps at the top of the list of true supplemental draft picks would be Hall of Famer Cris Carter. Carter was deemed ineligible for the 1987 NFL draft after prematurely signing with an agent. He was chosen in the supplemental draft in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Eagles. After Carter, other successful picks would be QB Bernie Kosar (Cleveland Browns), Brian Bosworth (Seattle Seahawks), and Josh Gordon (Cleveland Browns).
The Green Bay Packers have only taken one player in the supplemental draft in their history, and that was offensive lineman Mike Wahle in 1998 with a 2nd-round pick. Wahle was forced to resign his senior year at Navy after testing positive for steroids and, therefore, was not eligible for the spring draft. This investment proved worth it for the Packers as Wahle went on to play seven seasons in Green Bay, contributing to one of the greatest offensive lines in franchise history alongside Chad Clifton, Mike Flanagan, Marco Rivera, and Mark Tauscher.
Some fans may think that the supplemental draft could be a key to landing top talent. Already, some fans believe the Packers should put in a bid for Brendan Sorsby as a developmental QB. It's doubtful they would bid a high-round investment, but if they'd place a 5th or 6th round investment on him and end up winning, it could indeed be a huge steal for such a low cost.
The Packers' lone supplemental draft investment paid off in a big way with Mike Wahle in 1998, proving that the risk of bidding on a supplemental pick could pay off. While the supplemental draft rarely generates much attention and even more rarely produces selections, all it takes is one team willing to take a calculated gamble. Whether that team is Green Bay this summer remains to be seen, but if the Packers believe Sorsby is worth the risk, history suggests the reward could outweigh the cost.
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Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to CheeseheadTV as well as PackersTalk. Follow him on Twitter @gmeinholz and Bluesky @gmeinholz.bsky.social for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.
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Comments (27)
Ya_tittle
June 17, 2026 at 10:01 am
Pass on that QB please.
Cheezehead72
June 17, 2026 at 10:02 am
Not sure I would consider Josh Gordon a successful pick.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 17, 2026 at 12:01 pm
But what about Flash Gordon?
Lol
Cheezehead72
June 17, 2026 at 10:06 am
I hope Gute does put down a 5th or lower on Sorsby. Yes he bet on college football and his team but he was young. We all make mistakes when we are young. He has gone through treatment for his demon. Lets help him get back on track.
Now I am sure a team will put up a 3rd or a 4th and possibly a 2nd.
Bitternotsour
June 17, 2026 at 10:13 am
Try this sentence, yes, he is a meth/fentanyl addict, but hey, they don't relapse all that often...
You know, for perspectives sake.
WestCoastPackerBacker
June 17, 2026 at 10:52 am
The risk is way too high to spend a pick on this guy. Gambling addiction is a tough one and not something the Packers need to be dealing with. Talk about a distraction to bring a guy like that into your locker room.
Cheezehead72
June 17, 2026 at 11:09 am
A couple notable Packers that had drug addictions Brett Favre and Johnny Jolly. Both overcame those addictions and played for the Packers.
Like I said lets help him become a better person.
I'm sure his addiction will not hurt the locker room. It might help some of these players become a better person.
WestCoastPackerBacker
June 17, 2026 at 02:22 pm
There’s a big difference between substance addiction and gambling addiction. Substance addiction only hurts the individual. Gambling throws a dark cloud over the whole organization. This guy didn’t just bet on Romanian soccer or whatever. He bet on his own team. He should get a suspension from the NFL and likely will. But betting on your own team opens the door to worse issues. I would give him a chance in the NFL but I sure wouldn’t spend a draft pick on him.
Cheezehead72
June 18, 2026 at 06:12 am
Wrong addiction to substance and to gambling affects more than the individual. I would say substance abuse has a higher rate of affecting others. How about all those people killed in crashes because a driver was drunk or high.
An addict that has admitted to his addiction and has got help for that addiction is usually better than the person that has not been caught or admitted to being an addict.
Give the young man a chance to make himself a better person.
TKWorldWide
June 18, 2026 at 06:51 am
Was Jolly the “purple drank” guy? Or was that Cletidus Hunt?
Leatherhead
June 17, 2026 at 11:28 am
The draft in general.
That guy you take in the first round, or in the first 100, is a guy that you HOPE stays healthy and plays well and that you are able to resign after his rookie contract. That's the Hope.
The reality is quite a bit different. I'm going to use the 2020 draft as an example. Four guys drafted in the first round are out of the league. 12 guys have been the primary starter for at least 5 years. But by the 3rd round, you have 12 guys out of the league already, and only 8 guys who have been a primary starter most of the time.
That's not falling off a cliff, but when we look at the 5th round, we see that 19 guys are out of the league, including Kamal Martin. Only a few were starters, and only for a few seasons.
I think we overvalue draft picks sometimes. Is a proven player worth as much as pick #80? A guy who has proven he can play? I'm starting to think so, and it was really the Micah Parsons trade that kind of got me thinking about this. What are the odds that we were going to get a better player than him in the draft this year, or next? I'd say slim. And I'm wondering if there are other players we could trade draft picks for that would help the team THIS year.
The Great George Allen routinely traded away draft picks for proven players. His reasoning was that some rookies don't work out as well as you hoped,and he liked experienced guys. It worked for him, and when I see what low return, in general, you get from a draft, trading makes more sense to me.
2000 Draft: Love, Dillon, DeGuara, Kamal Martin, Runyan (a great pick in the 6th, Hanson (not so great), Stepaniak (who never did anything), Jonathan Garvin. Love, of course, a very good pick. Dillon was a very good BACKUP who stayed healthy enough to practice and play, he didn't fumble the ball, he could catch, he could get his man blocked in pass pro. He's in the league. So is Deguara. Not Martin. Runyan left in FA for $10M/year, but we got a couple of good years out of him. If we had simply traded away every pick after the 2nd round for an immediate guy who could help, we'd have probably been better off.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 17, 2026 at 12:09 pm
Eff dem picks!
If you could get a proven player you'd be happy to get from the draft position you could trade, it's worth it every time. Especially when GB doesn't usually play a rookie until their third year; the value of them being on a cheap deal evaporates. The only constraint on this approach is the salary cap.
I'm convinced the league is set up to operate this way, and scratch my head that "no one" does it. Except the Rams. Their success makes it even more surprising. Now watch, the trend will change, and the value of picks will diminish. Will our FO be able to adjust effectively?
Cheezehead72
June 17, 2026 at 12:37 pm
Excellent comment because I was thinking the same thing. Draft picks are valuable due to the salary cap that is why it is important to get them on the field the first or second year. They are a cheap player.
WestCoastPackerBacker
June 17, 2026 at 02:35 pm
The days of Green Bay not playing rookies are somewhat in the past. Watson and Doubs got plenty of snaps as rookies, limited only by their injuries. But Watson had more scores than any other rookie WR. Carrington Valentine started 12 games as a rookie. Eric Stokes started 14 games as a rookie. Cooper played 45% of defensive snaps his first year. Quay started 16 games his first year. Jayden Reed led the team in yards as a rookie.
Just because LVN and Morgan have been slow to become regular contributors, doesn’t mean GB doesn’t play rookies. I could list more don’t need to.
Cheezehead72
June 17, 2026 at 12:43 pm
You bring up George Allen but he coached in the NFL before salary cap when teams could buy a team.
Draft picks are important due to being cheap players and it helps to bring in those proven players and staying under the salary cap. It is the GMs job to draft players in the first and second rounds that can be on the field and preferably start the first and second year.
I find it interesting that most of the fans here loved giving up two first round picks and a proven player and pay a large salary to a proven player but then many fans here were upset with using two seventh round picks on a kicker.
GregC
June 17, 2026 at 11:36 am
The character risk seems high from where I'm sitting, but NFL teams know a lot more about these players than I do, so maybe they think his problem is manageable. Still, it's questionable whether he could be a good enough #2 QB as a rookie. Would he be as good as Tyrod Taylor? Probably not, so if the Packers wanted to keep him, they would probably need to roster three QBs. If Sorsby was on the practice squad and was playing well, he would most likely get poached by a team that was looking for a possible starting QB.
By the way, there is nothing inherently risky about drafting a player in the supplemental draft. You weigh the pros and cons just like you would for any other draft pick. In fact, there is actually an advantage: You get to spend one of next year's picks on a player who can join your team right now.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 17, 2026 at 12:11 pm
Gutey gets another chance to shine ...
Starrbrite
June 17, 2026 at 09:51 pm
Turophile—I’m in your camp with this. Good QB’s are a luxury and must always sought after. Ron Wolf said the same.
I only know what media is reporting and those here who have background. But if he has the talent, I think you choose the risk.
Coldworld
June 18, 2026 at 12:33 am
If we won the auction for him then you would have to roster him or he would likely get picked up off the PS later as a free developmental option by a team out of contention and with no clear QB pipeline.
Fo you really think this guy can be better than Taylor now? If not, I think we need all the roster spots with the reliance on youth coming through. Personally, I think his accuracy needs significant work. Certainly his footwork does. I do not think he’s a credible candidate to back up Love at this point. Thus I would not bid regardless of his ethical/judgement questions.
However, NFL may yet suspend him. He could be headed to the reserve suspended list of the team that drafts him. If he’s out for the season, then I might throw a later pick into the hat because he won’t count on the roster till next season in that scenario.
Anything less than a full season and even completely ignoring his potential to relapse and be unavailable, I would not touch him because he’s not ready to be QB2 now and we have better calls in our roster space.
Turophile
June 17, 2026 at 05:38 pm
Yep, worth bidding a day 3 pick, I'd say (likely a 4th rounder). A modest layout for a potential 1st round talent, or at least a 2nd rounder.
If, as I suspect, someone outbids the Packers, you have lost nothing. If your bid wins, you have a bargain pickup who might be worth a lot more, down the road. Not much downside here, and the value decent QBS fetch is always high, there are never enough good ones.
Also, as GregC mentions, you spend a next years pick for a guy you get this year. Finally, GBs record with developing QBs makes it a very attractive destination for Sorsby - not that he would have any choice it GB picks him, but it could make him a happy camper - and he has a higher chance of developing well here, compared to, say, Chicago or a dumpster team.
BuckyBadger
June 17, 2026 at 12:15 pm
Have to do your homework on everyone. There have been some real finds and there have been even more headaches or guys that don't pan out. Not sure Bosworth was a success story unless you are talking about his movie Stone Cold. I know we think all our draft picks are going to pan out but that doesn't happen so I am not against burning a pick on one if they think they can contribute and not bring their baggage (they always have baggage) with them. Carter signed with an agent, great at the NFL level they all have them. Guy is kicked off for being a donkey, well how much of a donkey and how good is he?
I think Sorsby should have to sit at the NFL level and I hope they do give him a suspension. I think he is a good player but I am not sure he would be a 1st rounder after a year under the microscope and going through the deep analysis that comes with a potential 1st rounder. If you are thinking PS than just sign him as a RFA. I wouldn't put more than a 7th on him.
Cheezehead72
June 17, 2026 at 01:07 pm
I tidbit I found out about Boz. I guess before a game in Denver many Broncos fans bought tee shirts that had "What is Boz-Worth? Nothing" written on them. They bought them for $15. Apparently Bosworth owned the company that made the shirts.
GregC
June 17, 2026 at 01:27 pm
That's hIlarious. I looked it up and found the story in more than one place. Classic Bosworth. I dug a little deeper and was surprised to learn that Bosworth was never a professional wrestler. He would have been perfect for it, but he thought professional wrestling was dumb.
BuckyBadger
June 17, 2026 at 02:02 pm
I lived in Denver as a pretty young kid and I remember those shirts. Didn't know the back story. The Boz was entertaining.
HarryHodag
June 17, 2026 at 02:13 pm
There is nothing to gain by drafting Sorsby. Love will likely be around many more years. Also, I highly doubt a gambling addict can stay reformed very long. Like alcoholism and drug addiction, they often have relapses and then that falls into the team's lap.
Pass.
Turophile
June 17, 2026 at 06:02 pm
Young people ARE capable of 'growing up' and many do, especially when the incentives to do so are especially high. I wouldn't spend a high draft pick, but I see a very acceptable risk if it is any day 3 pick offered (probably a 4th). Probably the Packers are outbid, but if they are, they have lost nothing by being in the hunt.
Good QBs have enormous value in the NFL, there are never enough to fill the demand for them. This is a modest bet for the chance of a big return. A Malik Willis type return on investment would be fantastic.
Love being around for many years is besides the point. Gute isn't afraid to take chances, we have already seen that - and the risk/reward is as nothing, compared to, say, the Parsons trade.
Alberta_Packer
June 17, 2026 at 08:44 pm
Holy Pete Rose and Art Schlicter! If Sorsby is already betting on his games in College - then he's likely not going to stop in the Pros. He may abstain for a while - but will eventually find alternative and suspect ways to resume his gambling addiction.
As for the Packers putting in a bid for the QB - highly unlikely. Unless it's a low bid that they intend to trade for a higher pick. Also highly unlikely.