12 Notable Players Picked In The NFL Supplemental Draft And Their Reasons For Leaving College

The Supplemental Draft is a selection event that’s sporadically held after the annual NFL Draft in April. It is not a yearly occurrence. In fact, it hasn’t been put on since 2023, and no players were taken in that most recent edition.

The last player drafted in the event was Jalen Thompson in 2019. He was picked up by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round. That is likely to change in 2026.

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has applied for the NFL Supplemental Draft. He is leaving college amidst a sports gambling scandal that’s threatened his eligibility.

Should the league opt to go through with the event, he should be the next player taken. Sorsby could be the next pro star to overcome a tumultuous ending to his NCAA career and shine at the next level.

12 notable players picked in the NFL Supplemental Draft.

The first Supplemental Draft was held in 1977. Since, 46 players have been selected through the process.

The event is reserved for college players that have seen circumstances change surrounding eligibility in the months following the typical NFL Draft. Held in the summer, it gives them a second shot at signing with a pro team after missing out on the first go-round.

Here, we’ll take a look at some of the biggest names to come 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 family financial hardships, he opted to forego his remaining eligibility and move onto the NFL. He did so while ensuring he’d return home to Ohio.

Kosar finished his spring semester. He entered the Supplemental Draft, where the Cleveland Browns held 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 picked in the Supplemental Draft.

Brian Bosworth (1987)

Bosworth is a University of Oklahoma Hall of Famer that led the Sooners to a national title in 1985. He, however, was dismissed from the team after the ’86 season.

“The Boz” tested positive for steroids ahead of the Orange Bowl. He’d miss the game before having eligibility stripped. A junior, he was eligible for the NFL. He did not initially declare for the NFL Draft in the spring but chose to enter the ’87 Supplemental Draft that summer. He was picked in the first round.

Bosworth signed a 10-year deal with the Seahawks worth $11 million. Unfortunately, his time as a pro was short-lived. Injuries derailed his career. He retired after three seasons.

Cris Carter (1987)

Carter was a star at Ohio State in the mid-1980s. The wideout led the Big 10 in touchdown catches as a sophomore. He paced the league in receiving as a junior. He would not get a chance to play as a senior.

Carter signed with an agent after his third college season. He was ruled ineligible as a result. After missing the NFL Draft, he entered the Supplemental event a few months later. He’d 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 picked in the fourth round. He racked up nearly 14,000 yards as a receiver across a 16-year pro career with Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Miami.

Carter remains the only player picked in the Supplemental Draft to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bobby Humphrey (1989)

Humphrey was an All-American at Alabama during 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 forego his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL.

Humphrey declared for the Supplemental Draft in 1989. He was picked in the first round by the Denver Broncos, where he’d shine for two seasons.

The running back started 26 games and racked up more than 2,350 yards in his first two years. He earned a Pro Bowl invite in 1990. Unfortunately, injuries and off the field issues led to his exit from 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 in 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’d go onto a 10-year pro career with the Cowboys, Bears, Saints, Bucs, Rams, and Colts, making the playoffs four times.

Rob Moore (1990)

Moore played three seasons at Syracuse where he recorded 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 opted to enter the Supplemental Draft later that offseason and was picked first overall by the New York Jets.

Moore signed a 4-year deal worth $4 million. He went onto 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 totaled nearly 9,400 yards and caught 49 touchdowns.

Dave Brown (1992)

Brown spent four years at Duke, three of which he saw significant playing time. In 1989, he helped the Blue Devils win a share of the ACC title. The next two years, he’d hold the reins to the offense.

In 1991, he led the league in passing and touchdowns. He’d 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 as he was a highly sought-after prospect. So, they convinced him graduate and join the ’92 Supplemental Draft.

Brown was taken with the first overall pick. He’d spend the next six years in the Big Apple before finishing out his 10-year career in Arizona.

Mike Wahle (1998)

Wahle is a former Navy offensive lineman that 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 onto play 11 seasons in the NFL with the Packers, Panthers, and Seahawks. He started 138 games and made one 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 picked with the second pick of the second round by the Chargers. He’d wind 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’d retire after his lone 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 shortened by injury. He played in the team’s final six games after recovering from offseason knee surgery. That would be his last season in Charlottesville.

The linebacker was dismissed by the Cavaliers for off the field issues before his senior campaign. It led him to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft.

Brooks was picked in the third round by the Bengals. He signed a 4-year deal worth $2.25 million. He’d go onto play 11 pro seasons, spending time in Cincinnati, San Francisco, and Green Bay.

The defender totaled 391 tackles and made one 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 selling scandal that sparked an NCAA investigation. He was suspended five games of his senior year as punishment. Rather than sit on the bench in Columbus, he entered the NFL Supplemental Draft.

Pryor was picked in the third round by the Oakland Raiders. He signed a 4-year deal worth $2.75 million. The NFL forced him to serve out that five-game suspension handed down by the NCAA. He’d 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 yards per catch as a sophomore. He racked up 714 yards and seven touchdowns in his final season with the Bears.

A failed drug test led to his dismissal from the team ahead of his junior year. He transferred to Utah but did not play a down of football in 2011. He then entered the Supplemental Draft in 2012.

Gordon was picked in the second round by the Browns, signing a 4-year deal worth $5.3 million. He would go onto major 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 across his next eight years. He took his last snap in 2022 before spending time in the XFL.