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Is Brendan Sorsby worth a first- or second-round pick in supplemental draft?

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Is Brendan Sorsby worth a first- or second-round pick in supplemental draft?

Brendan Sorsby’s decision to apply for the NFL’s supplemental draft creates an interesting opportunity for teams seeking a quarterback. The former Indiana Hoosier and Cincinnati Bearcat, who had planned to play at Texas Tech, will move on from the college saga that resulted from his issues with a gambling addiction, and could be the first quarterback taken in a supplemental draft since the Oakland Raiders selected Terrelle Pryor in 2011.

Sorsby could be the most high-profile supplemental draft pick ever. He was part of the vaunted 2027 quarterback class and some teams may be willing to use a first- or second-round pick on him despite the gambling issues and legal mess. A team would forfeit its corresponding pick in next year’s NFL Draft if they take him.

Is Sorsby worth a high draft pick? After watching the film, he certainly has the physical traits and arm talent of a first-round pick, but he could have really used another season in college to refine some of his rough edges.

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Jourdan Rodrigue

Sorsby has prototypical size at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, and is a legitimate threat in designed runs and as a scrambler. Cincinnati’s offense utilized several concepts like the quarterback counter-bash that got Sorsby to run vertically into the teeth of the defense. He was not shy about contact and will need to do a better job of protecting himself in the league. He can run through arm tackles and has some elusiveness, but he likely won’t pull away from NFL defenders. His ability to be a threat on option plays is a legitimate tool and the team that drafts him should use it, especially early on.

Sorsby has an exceptional arm — he can make every throw, but it’s short of elite. He can throw with touch, change the trajectory of passes and access all parts of the field. He’s a highly aggressive passer, averaging 9.7 air yards per attempt, but has scattershot deep accuracy. On throws of over 20 air yards, his off-target rate was 33.9 percent last season and has been above 30 percent in every season. He has some pinpoint, spectacular deep passes on film, but also a lot of bad misses.

He’s a rotational thrower and effectively creates power through his hips. His intermediate and short accuracy are much better than his deep accuracy, and his ability to hit receivers in stride helps create yards after the catch. He has a quick release and is an effective run/pass option and quick game thrower. However, the passing game at Cincinnati wasn’t precision-based in how routes were run and the spacing. It also didn’t seem like Sorsby played with a strong sense of timing and didn’t display the ability to get through progressions smoothly.

There were too many instances when he locked onto his first read, which was part of why he threw the ball deep so often. He would throw the deep route even when the coverage took it away with the safety staying over the top, which makes me question his ability to read coverages and eliminate options based on pre-snap reads. When he threw into coverage, he’d at least throw the ball into a safe spot, which is why he didn’t turn it over much (five interceptions in 2025), but he also had a low completion percentage (61.6 percent).

He showed a willingness to throw the ball with anticipation to the middle of the field when his first read was open on intermediate concepts,  but it’s something he needs to continue to improve. He profiles more as a running quarterback who prefers to throw deep and outside.

Sorsby’s 2025 heat map from Trumedia

What I liked most from Sorsby’s tape is that he’s willing to stand in a collapsing pocket and step up against pressure. One of his best traits is his ability to throw off-platform as the interior of the pocket gets pushed back or when he throws on the run. He can also change his arm angles to avoid knockdowns at the line of scrimmage. He plays with toughness from the start of the game to the end, even when he gets hit a lot.

Sorsby’s skill set reminds me a lot of Jaxson Dart’s, except Dart’s deep accuracy is much better. Both are tough, athletic option quarterbacks who prefer throwing outside. Dart came from a system that needed him to get through multiple progressions and stretched the field with downfield shots. Stylistically, they are similar, but Dart was the better prospect, didn’t have off-field issues and was a late first-round draft pick. Sorsby is a second-round, developmental pick, but his off-field issues will affect his stock.

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken said he didn’t believe the Browns were in a position to “go down that road” of drafting Sorsby and other franchises are likely thinking the same thing. Sorsby will probably be off several teams’ boards entirely. His physical skill set certainly makes him an intriguing prospect, but I expect he’ll likely get drafted with a third-round pick or below.

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