Dallas nearly sacrificed a second-round pick for the Texas Tech standout before eligibility hurdles intervened. Now, the Cowboys must weigh his potential against a loaded 2027 draft class.
FRISCO - Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby and his fight with the NCAA over eligibility after his admitted gambling addiction came to an end with the former Indiana and Cincinnati student-athlete settling in to prepare to enter the 2027 NFL Draft.
This comes following the league's declining to host a supplemental draft for Sorsby after was told he could not compete for the Red Raiders, who were facing a lawsuit from the Big 12 Conference and possible sanctions.
But had the NFL held a supplemental draft for Sorsby?
An NFL source tells CowboysRoundtable.com that the Cowboys were "very interested'' in selecting Sorsby as a developmental prospect behind Dak Prescott.
How interested? Maybe so much so that Dallas might've spent a second-round pick for a shot at the 6-3, 235-pound player, whose statistical body of work comes via two seasons as the Cincinnati starting quarterback, where he threw for over 5,600 yards and 45 touchdowns.
So now we move to next spring, with the Cowboys known to be secure with Dak while also looking to the future.
Where does Sorsby stack up among the upcoming class?
Here is a look at the top names also likely to come out of college and enter the pros.
Dante Moore, Oregon
Moore's Ducks torched the Red Raiders in the last CFP after Tech sat through a bye into the quarterfinals. Many thought Moore would have been the second or third QB taken in the 2026 draft if he were to enter, but instead he chose to run it back with Dan Lanning in Eugene one more year.
After a CFP semifinals berth bringing playoff pedigree, Moore will enter the NFL as one of the most experienced college passers because he will have had over three full seasons of starting experience across his time at UCLA and Oregon.
Last year, Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns as a dynamic athlete with a knack for deep ball accuracy.
Arch Manning, Texas
The nephew of Super Bowl champions Peyton and Eli could still technically exercise his redshirt year and come back to the Longhorns in 2027, but if Manning carries his strong end to 2025 into this upcoming year, he'll put Texas in national title contention and himself into No. 1 overall pick range.
In his first season as the full-time starter following two years sitting behind Quinn Ewers, Manning completed 61 percent of his passes for 31,63 yards and 26 touchdowns. He added 399 yards and 10 scores on the ground with a physical run style that's more reminiscent of his grandfather, Archie, than his uncles.
NFL teams' marketing departments could be thinking about the publicity opportunities as much as the football, but Arch is still as close to the full package as there is in the college game.
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Sayin also just finished his first season as the full-time starter after sat as a freshman during the Buckeyes' title run. In 2025, he was a Heisman finalist with 3,610 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a nation-leading 77 percent completion percentage.
Sayin has some physical development to experience, but he's undoubtedly one of the purest passers in recent memory and will likely be a first-rounder if he enrolls in the draft.
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Sellers is a physically imposing specimen who is dangerous on the ground and through the air. The 6-3, 238-pounder has nearly 5,000 passing yards over the last two years leading the Gamecocks, along with 944 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing.
He's got one of the strongest arms in the country and will be picked off of sure-fire athletic potential if he enters the NFL Draft after a bounce-back 2026 season.
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Mestemaker follows his head coach Eric Morris - a former Texas Tech staffer and QB whisperer - to Stillwater where a lot of hype for the Cowboys comes as a result.
The 6-4 gunslinger led the country in passing yards last season at North Texas, tossing for 4,379 yards on over 68 percent accuracy.
Sorsby falls right around this area as being among the best eight quarterbacks likely available in the 2027 NFL Draft, where Notre Dame's CJ Carr, Miami's Darian Mensah and Indiana's Josh Hoover are also available.
Some think Sorsby will rise to the top of this group. Others, including ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum, project him as nothing more than a second-round pick.
Unfortunately for Sorsby, he'll be away from a locker room as he prepares for the next step, but his option to enter the 2027 NFL Draft is still a better way for his story to end than expected.
And his path toward a Cowboys team that was "very interested'' in his services at some level? That will have to wait.
