Supported metal catalysts are used in many industrial applications. Experiments have shown that drying may significantly impact the metal distribution within the support. Therefore we need to have a fundamental understanding of drying. In this work, a theoretical model is established to predict the drying process, and the model predictions are compared with experimental measurements of a nickel/alumina system. It is found that egg-shell profiles can be enhanced by increasing the drying temperature or the initial metal concentration if the metal loading is low. For high metal loadings, nearly uniform profiles are observed after drying. We have also investigated how breakage of the liquid film inside the pores of the support can affect the metal distribution during drying. It was found that film-breakage has a significant impact on the metal distribution, and it is important to correctly capture film-breakage in the model in order to get good experimental agreement.