FOX Sports Digital
After weeks of drama, Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is NFL-bound, but questions about his professional future still linger. Sorsby will enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, his legal representation confirmed on Monday. The announcement came as his gambling scandal jeopardized his college future, getting an injunction against the NCAA last week before the association, the Big 12 and others fought to make Sorsby ineligible. Now, Sorsby will become one of the most intriguing prospects to enter the supplemental draft in quite some time. He could be the first player taken in the first round of the supplemental draft in 34 years, as teams weigh whether to use a high draft pick on him. So, with Sorsby now becoming a pro, what do execs and scouts around the league think about his talent and situation? Here's what we learned from our conversations. Ralph Vacchiano: Brendan Sorsby might have had the talent to be a first-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft had he remained in college. Now, teams have to weigh whether he's worth using a first-round pick on in the supplemental draft, and his gambling problem makes him a risk that not everyone will be willing to take. "We tend to forgive a lot of things if a guy can play," one NFL executive told me. "But gambling in sports has always just been different. Betting, especially on your own team, is the one line [players] just can’t cross." Sorsby, of course, admitted to placing bets on his own team when he was briefly at Indiana University, which is why he was banned from playing college football until a court granted an injunction to let him play next season for Texas Tech. But after the NCAA, Big 12 and others sought to make Sorsby ineligible to play again, he decided to enter the supplemental draft. Now, the ball is in the NFL's court. What punishment could he receive from the league? And for the 32 teams, is Sorsby's talent worth the off-field risks? "If you need a quarterback, he’s going to be tempting," the executive told me. "But because he’s a quarterback, it’s an even tougher call. The guy isn’t just an anonymous guard. He’s going to be the face of the franchise. He’ll be watched everywhere he goes, whatever he does, every social media post, every person he takes a photo with. "And it’s not like you have to just keep him out of casinos, or can give him weekly drug tests to monitor him. Gambling is everywhere and you might never know if he’s doing it. Even if he says he’s completely beaten the problem and never has any other issues, can you really trust him? Will your fans trust him? Will the media? "Everything is a potential problem." That’s probably why one NFL scout told me, "I’m glad that’s above my pay grade. I wouldn’t want to have to make that call. He’s a really strong prospect, but there’s so much more that goes into taking him....
