Former NFL GM gives advice to Brendan Sorsby about 2027 draft

Barring a surprising development, controversial quarterback prospect Brendan Sorsby will complete a so-called "de facto gap year" out of competitive football and prepare for the 2027 NFL Draft. 

During a Wednesday "SportsCenter" appearance, former NFL general manager and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum offered Sorsby advice for how the signal-caller can eventually impress teams at the highest level. 

Brendan Sorsby's comeback "starts with accountability"

"It starts with accountability," Tannenbaum said. "And he can look back and say the 2026 year is the greatest thing that ever happened to him. Make sure everything that is handled off the field is done properly. Be in the best shape of your life. Start with accountability. Make it a learning experience and start fresh next year. And there will be some team that will give him an opportunity." 

The NCAA deemed Sorsby ineligible to play during the upcoming college season after he admitted to betting on Indiana football while he was with that program and on other sports. The NFL later said it wouldn't hold a supplement draft this summer, and the Canadian Football League confirmed that it would not register a contract for Sorsby.

Earlier this spring, Sorsby entered a residential treatment program to deal with a gambling addiction. In a statement released on Tuesday, he said that he "did not have control of my gambling problem" and that "it took getting caught for me to realize that." 

When could a team draft Brendan Sorsby in 2027?

Assuming Sorsby stays healthy and out of trouble, what he is as an on-the-field prospect could make for fascinating debates between now and late April 2027. During Wednesday's segment, Tannenbaum predicted that Sorsby could be selected in either the second or third round of next spring's player-selection process. 

"It's so important that this next year, he does everything he can to make sure that addiction is a thing of the past to the extent he can," Tannenbaum added. "And everything he does has to be through the lens of how the 32 teams will react to it. This has a chance to be a massive redemption story, but it really starts with how he handles things off the field."

If Tannenbaum is right, Sorsby could land with a team that sits him behind a proven veteran through at least the end of the 2027 season. That could ultimately be a blessing for a prospect that might not be ready to face live NFL defenses 14 months down the road.