There Will Be A Supplemental Draft

The too long, too stupid saga of Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is finally over. Yesterday, it was reported that he plans to apply for the NFL’s Supplemental Draft. After placing over 9,000 bets on college and pro sports, some placed on his own teams, over four years, the NCAA had terminated his eligibility. He didn’t like that so he appealed the decision in federal court. Last week, somehow, an actual judge ignored all that was obvious and granted a preliminary injunction that prevented the NCAA from ending the eligibility of a player that had clearly broken the rules so many times. It was an astonishing decision that threw college football, common sense, and the law into chaos. Sorsby’s flip to entering the Supplemental Draft came on a day that included a flurry of legal activity. The Big 12 filed for a federal injunction for the right to potentially discipline Sorsby under its rules. The NCAA asked an appeals court for an expedited resolution to the local case, requesting a decision on Sorsby’s eligibility to be made by the start of the football season. All of that legal action faded away after the quarterback’s change of mind. This whole ordeal was so ludicrous. You can’t bet on the sport you play! He placed 9,000 bets! Sorsby broke a clearly stated rule so many times. It was unbelievable that he even tried to fight the much-deserved punishment. It’s over now. Entering the Supplemental Draft was always the best option. Realizing a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL is a cushy Plan B after losing your college eligibility. 

The Supplemental Draft. It’s a thing. 

For those that are a little rusty on some of the particulars of the NFL's Supplemental Draft here's some help from The Athletic:

What is the supplemental draft?

The supplemental draft, which is held each summer, was installed in 1977 as an option for draft-eligible players who did not declare for the regular NFL Draft. Normally, players who declare for the supplemental draft do so because of unexpected eligibility issues in college (academic or discipline).

The most noteworthy players who entered the NFL via the supplemental draft include Bernie Kosar (1985), Cris Carter (1987) and, most recently, Josh Gordon (2012). Since 1977, 45 players have been selected in the supplemental draft.

The draft order for the supplemental draft is determined via a lottery system based on last season’s win-loss records. The draft order is divided into three groups: 1) teams with six or fewer wins 2) the rest of the non-playoff teams and 3) the 12 playoff teams. The order of each group is randomly selected. If a team is interested in drafting a prospect, they place a bid on that player in a certain round. If multiple teams submit bids on a player in the same round, the team picking first in the order is awarded the player.

Once a team drafts a player in the supplemental draft, it must forfeit its pick in that round in the following NFL Draft.

It’s been a while since the Supplemental Draft included a player with legitimate NFL potential. Current Dallas Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2019 Supplemental Draft. Before that, you’d have to go back to the Cleveland Browns selecting receiver Josh Gordon in the second round of the 2012 Supplemental Draft. Brendan Sorsby will be drafted. How high will he be drafted? Some talent evaluators have said that he would’ve challenged Ty Simpson for QB2 in last April’s “regular” draft. A strong season at Texas Tech this fall and Sorsby would’ve been in the first-round mix of a strong quarterback draft in next April’s regular draft. Even if his off-field issues knock him a bit, Sorsby should get claimed in the second round. I wouldn’t be all that surprised if a team positioned late in the first round throws in a claim. The Los Angeles Rams could easily have been that team if they hadn’t taken Simpson. Wait! Scratch that. They don’t have a 2027 first-round pick. Thanks to the Brendan Sorsby saga, the 2026 Supplemental Draft will be a thing. 

Minnesota Vikings Current Front Office

New Minnesota Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley has made his first additions to the front office he now leads. They are very big additions.

Andrew Healy

Trent Kirchner

Both have assistant general manager titles. Andrew Healy comes in as the Vikings top “analytics guy.” He has a math degree from Yale and an economics PhD from MIT on his resume. He’s the #2 football executive in the front office. Trent Kirchner has spent his football life on the scouting side. Over 27 years, he’s earned a reputation as one of the league’s best talent evaluators. They replace Ryan Grigson and Demitrius Washington. Grigson will remain with the team in a yet to be named role. Senior personnel executive Jamaal Stephenson, assistant director of college scouting Pat Roberts, and pro scout Salli Clavelle are also departing. 

With those adjustments in the books, here’s a look at Nolan Teasley’s current front office. 

Minnesota Vikings Current Personnel Structure 

General Manager: Nolan Teasley 

Assistant General Manager: Andrew Healy

Assistant General Manager: Trent Kirchner

Yet To Be Named Role: Ryan Grigson

Director of Player Personnel: Ryan Monnens

Assistant Director of Player Personnel: Chisom Opara

Director of Pro Personnel: Sam DeLuca

Director of College Scouting: Mike Sholiton

National Scout: Sean Gustus

National Scout: David Williams

College Area Scout (Midwest): Jake Essler

College Scout: Blaine Gramer

College Scout: Matt Kelly

College Scout: Steve Sabo

College Area Scout (Northeast): Michelle Mankoff

College Scout/BLESTO: Jack Murphy

Pro Scout: Alex Dale

Pro Scout: Shane Normandeau

Senior Player Personnel Analyst: Taylor Brooks

Senior Football Operations Manager: Kaitlin Zarecki

Senior Manager of Football Administration: Emily Badis

Senior Manager of Family Engagement: Quinn Gjersvig

Football Quantitative Methods Senior Analyst: Chris French

Football Quantitative Methods Analyst: Cole Bransford

Director, Football Information Systems: Luke Burson

Database Administrator: Mike Desplenter

Football Information Systems Developer: Anthony Caron

Football Information Systems Developer: Derek McCormick

Football Administration Associate: Austin Lavitt 

Player Personnel Consultant: Paul Wiggin

Scouting Associate: Dabness Atkins

Scouting Associate: Brian Schnorr

Football Operations Associate: Jordyn Hall

Family Engagement Associate: Michela Brown-Mayfield

SQL Database Associate: Grace Liebi

Football Quantitative Methods Associate: Claire Morrison

Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Competition

What’s wrong with a little competition? It can only make all involved better. Right?  There’s a quarterback competition in Minnesota. When the Vikings intentionally added Kyler Murray to a roster that already had franchise quarterback candidate J.J. McCarthy, a competition began. Many talking heads saw it as a competition in name only. An accomplished quarterback like Murray is only signing to start. Right? Those same talking heads were many of the same impatient observers that had already tossed McCarthy in the bust bin. A single season dismantled by injuries to himself and the offensive line is apparently enough evidence to discard a young quarterback. Anyway, the Vikings 2026 quarterback story was surely written when Murray was signed. Of course, he was signed to start. All real evidence shows that story to be fiction. The only opinion that matters is that of Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. He says there’s a quarterback competition. The offseason workouts revealed a legitimate competition as McCarthy and Murray split reps. Perhaps infuriating many, O’Connell said that the competition will extend into training camp. 

Even though Kevin O’Connell explained it clearly, I believe that many talking heads and fans had the Kyler Murray signing wrong from the start. The Vikings head coach said that they wanted the strongest possible quarterback room. Anyone paying attention would be very much aware that the Vikings had two of the past three seasons taken apart by quarterback injuries. In 2023, they were forced to start four quarterbacks, including a fifth-round rookie that wasn’t remotely ready for the NFL. In 2025, they were forced to start three quarterbacks, including an undrafted rookie that wasn’t remotely ready for the NFL. Wanting the strongest possible quarterback room shouldn’t be a puzzle. With the Arizona Cardinals paying nearly $40 million of his 2026 salary, Murray was available for a league minimum $1.3 million. It was a unique situation and the Vikings took advantage. Even more amazing than the knee-jerk reaction to signing Murray was the response to the Vikings bringing back Carson Wentz. If Wentz is on the roster, surely McCarthy is going to be traded. It’s mind-numbing that so many people forgot, or ignored, O’Connell saying that strengthening the quarterback room was an offseason priority. The Vikings had to go three deep at the quarterback position in two of the last three seasons. The only way to avoid a repeat of those two disastrous seasons is to have three competent quarterbacks on the roster. 

J.J. McCarthy

Kyler Murray

Carson Wentz

Bingo!

I believe that any of the three could lead the Vikings to the playoffs. That’s a good situation. Carson Wentz is at the point in his career where he’s a backup for any team that signs him. What difference does it make whether it’s #2 or #3? If recent times are any indication, there’s a good chance he’s playing for the Vikings this season as #3. Hopefully, that painful pattern stays in the past. J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray are with the Vikings to start. There’s a quarterback competition in Minnesota. I’m all for it. Competition is fun. Competition makes everyone better. 

I would imagine that Kyler Murray has the edge simply because of his experience. If J.J. McCarthy is to win the job, he has to be the unquestioned winner. A tie goes to the veteran. I just want to see the best possible team on the field. I also want to see and hear proper football coverage of the competition. I’ve already seen way too much of the grade school coverage of perceived drama. Is McCarthy stretching with the quarterbacks? Did they skip off the field together at the end of practice? Gimme a break. There really is no end to the bullshit that the media thinks interests the fans. I’m one of those fans and it’s the football, only the football, that’s important. 

Vikings Front Office Hiires

A day after the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, I put together a list of candidates to replace him. It was as if I was part of the process. The efforts were ignored by those with an actual say. Anyway, some of the potential candidates were easy as they’ve been targets in recent general manager searches. I went searching for others. That search included a thorough scan of the front offices across the league with proven team-building success. The Seattle Seahawks were one of those teams. Two from that front office stood out. Trent Kirchner and Nolan Teasley. I picked Kirchner for my list of candidates mostly for his 27 years of scouting and team-building experience. Teasley had about half that. I apparently missed the fact that he’d risen past Kirchner in half the time. Ignoring my list of potential candidates, the Vikings hired Nolan Teasley to be their next general manager. Good move by the Vikings. By all appearances, he looks like an outstanding hire. It got even better yesterday as Teasley hired Trent Kirchner to be one of his assistant general manager. The Vikings ultimately hired both of my favorites. 

One of the first tasks of a general manager is to make some adjustments to his new team’s front office. Nolan Teasley brought in Trent Kirchner from the Seattle Seahawks and Andrew Healy from the Cleveland Browns. Each will have the title of assistant general manager. For Kirchner, it’s a homecoming. He’s a native of Fulda, Minnesota and attended and played quarterback at St. John’s University. He got his NFL start as an intern with the Seahawks, splitting time between public relations and college scouting. He was hired as college scouting coordinator by the Washington Redskins. His eight years scouting for the Carolina Panthers really set him on his football path and led to his return to Seattle in 2010. From there he moved up the front office ladder and gained a reputation as one of the best talent evaluators in the league. His work and growing respect earned him general manager interviews with the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and Houston Texans. It wouldn’t surprise if he continues to receive attention for future GM openings. That’s for another day. It’s silly to think of his potential departure from Minnesota before his actual arrival. Andrew Healy comes from the analytical side of football. He has a degree in math from Yale and a PhD in economics from MIT. He taught economics at Loyola Marymount University. He’s an analytics guy. For the last five years he’s been the Browns VP of research and strategy. In that role, Healy led the integration of data and advanced insights into all parts of football operations. Along with the reports of the hires came a report that Healy will be the Vikings #2 football executive. It may have taken that to pry him from the Browns. 

At his introductory press conference, Nolan Teasley said that he was “guided by evaluation and anchored by data.” In Trent Kirchner and Andrew Healy, Teasley has his evaluation and data assistants. It’s a dynamite team. 

First Round Signing Tracker

There’s been a recent run on team’s signing draft picks. Over the past couple days, several of the lingering first-round holdouts signed their rookie deals. Now, only the two quarterbacks selected in the first round remain unsigned. Leave it to the quarterbacks to muck up an easy process. Here’s a look at the signing status of the first round picks.

2026 NFL Draft - First Round Signing Tracker

1.   Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana 

2.   New York Jets: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech - Signed

3.   Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame - Signed

4.   Tennessee Titans: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State - Signed

5.   New York Giants: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State - Signed

6.   Kansas City Chiefs: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU - Signed 

7.   Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State - Signed

8.   New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State - Signed

9.   Cleveland Browns: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah - Signed

10. New York Giants: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami - Signed

11. Dallas Cowboys: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State - Signed

12. Miami Dolphins: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama - Signed 

13. Los Angeles Rams: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

14. Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State - Signed

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami - Signed

16. New York Jets: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon - Signed

17. Detroit Lions: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson - Signed 

18. Minnesota Vikings: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida - Signed

19. Carolina Panthers: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia - Signed

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Makai Lemon, WR, USC - Signed

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State - Signed

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami -Signed

23. Dallas Cowboys: Malachi Lawrence, Edge, UCF - Signed 

24. Cleveland Browns: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M - Signed 

25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon - Signed

26. Houston Texans: Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech - Signed 

27. Miami Dolphins: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State - Signed 

28. New England Patriots: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah - Signed

29. Kansas City Chiefs: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson - Signed

30. New York Jets: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana - Signed

31. Tennessee Titans: Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn - Signed

32. Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame - Signed

30 of the 32 players selected in the first round have signed.

Players That Intrigue

Today, the Minnesota Vikings take the field for the last of their three days of mandatory minicamp. Next week brings the final offseason workouts. Then, it’s on to training camp in late July. Throughout the offseason, several “under-the-radar” players have emerged as players that intrigue. It can be tough to wade through the expected, but bizarre, coverage of the quarterback competition. At times, it would seem that J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray are the only players on the field. When training camp opens and full-contact football gets started, here are some of the players from several position groups that intrigue me the most. I’m not going to touch the quarterback position. It’s been touched enough.

Running Back

Demond Claiborne

This is too easy. Lightning-quick, sixth-round pick Demond Claiborne is one of the most intriguing players on the team. Aaron Jones said that the rookie reminds him of Jahmyr Gibbs. That’s a nice start. Claiborne likely enters the season as RB3 behind Jones and Jordan Mason. He should get on the field as a change-of-pace back as a rookie. I think the Vikings future at running back is Demond Claiborne. 

Receiver

Dillon Bell

Undrafted rookie Dillon Bell has already caught the attention of many. With his size and obvious natural talent, it’s surprising that he wasn’t selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. His lack of production at consistently stacked Georgia clearly topped his size and traits. With Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings at the top of the depth chart, competition for the final two, or three, receiver spots will be fierce. If Bell continues his progression through training camp, he’ll be real hard to cut. 

Offensive Line

Ryan Van Demark

Injuries at offensive line was a big reason for last season’s troubles and inconsistencies. The Vikings signed Ryan Van Demark as a restricted free agent from the Buffalo Bills. It isn’t often that a restricted free agent switches teams. The Vikings clearly targeted him. There’s a comfort in having a starting caliber tackle supporting Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill.

Defensive Line

Elijah Williams

With the selections of Caleb Banks in the first round and Domonique Orange in the third round, the Vikings have built a very intriguing defensive line group. Jalen Redmond, Banks, and Orange will surely get most of the attention. I believe that Elijah Williams will emerge as an impact player. Undrafted last year, he made the 53-man roster as a rookie. He started getting some opportunities late in the season. I was intrigued by him coming out of Morgan State and was surprised that he wasn’t drafted. He looks bigger this year and I expect an impact. 

Linebacker

Jake Golday

I just want to see where the Vikings intend to play Jake Golday. Off-the-ball linebacker, edge rusher, nickel defender? He seems to have the skills to do nearly everything. I’m hoping that he can somehow pick up the un-earthly anticipation traits of Andrew Van Ginkel. That might be too much to ask for his rookie season. But who knows?

Safety

Harrison Smith

I just want to see Harrison Smith return for his 15th season. I’m not ready for #22 to not be on the field. 

Cornerback 

Chuck Demmings

Chuck Demmings might be my #1 most intriguing player on the team. From his sparkling personality to his freaky athleticism, the fifth-round rookie looks like he’s taking the first steps to becoming a fan favorite. 

Unsigned Draft Picks: By Round

The 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement made the signing of draft picks a fairly breezy process. Even though it’s been 15 years, it’s still fun to track these easy draft pick signing days. Holdouts are so depressing. No one really wins when a rookie misses practice time. Here’s a look at the unsigned draft pick status for each of the seven rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. The first round, of course, is shown in detail.

Unsigned Draft Picks: By Round

First Round

1.   Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana 

2.   New York Jets: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech - Signed

3.   Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame - Signed

4.   Tennessee Titans: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State - Signed

5.   New York Giants: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State - Signed

6.   Kansas City Chiefs: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU - Signed

7.   Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State - Signed

8.   New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State - Signed

9.   Cleveland Browns: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah - Signed

10. New York Giants: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami - Signed

11. Dallas Cowboys: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State - Signed

12. Miami Dolphins: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama - Signed

13. Los Angeles Rams: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

14. Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State - Signed

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami - Signed

16. New York Jets: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon - Signed

17. Detroit Lions: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson - Signed 

18. Minnesota Vikings: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida - Signed

19. Carolina Panthers: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia - Signed

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Makai Lemon, WR, USC - Signed

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State - Signed

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami - Signed

23. Dallas Cowboys: Malachi Lawrence, Edge, UCF - Signed

24. Cleveland Browns: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M - Signed

25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon - Signed

26. Houston Texans: Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech - Signed

27. Miami Dolphins: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State - Signed

28. New England Patriots: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah - Signed

29. Kansas City Chiefs: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson - Signed

30. New York Jets: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana - Signed

31. Tennessee Titans: Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn - Signed

32. Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame - Signed

2/32 players are unsigned.

Second Round

23. New England Patriots: Gabe Jacas, Edge, Illinois

1/32 players are unsigned.

Only three unsigned players from the first two rounds. That’s pretty good. It’s the next two rounds that surprise. 

Third Round

1.   Arizona Cardinals: Carson Beck, QB, Miami

2.   Denver Broncos: Tyler Onyedim, DT, Texas A&M

3.   Las Vegas Raiders: Keyron Crawford, Edge, Auburn

4.   Philadelphia Eagles: Markel Bell, OT, Miami

5.   Chicago Bears: Sam Roush, TE, Stanford

6.   San Francisco 49ers: Romello Height, Edge, Texas Tech

12. Pittsburgh Steelers: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

7/36 players are unsigned. 

Fourth Round

1.   Las Vegas Raiders: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

2.   Buffalo Bills: Jude Bowry, OT, Boston College

3.   New York Jets: Darrell Jackson Jr., DT, Florida State

4.   Arizona Cardinals: Kaleb Proctor, DL, Southeastern Louisiana

5.   Los Angeles Chargers: Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State

6.   Houston Texans: Febechi Nwaiwu, G, Oklahoma

7.   San Francisco 49ers: Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma

7/40 players are unsigned.

Fifth Round

0/41 players are unsigned.

Sixth Round

0/35 players are unsigned. 

Seventh Round

0/41 players are unsigned. 

17/257 players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft are unsigned. 

Somehow, it’s the players selected at the top of the third and fourth rounds that make up the bulk of the unsigned picks.