Fans and analyst have been projecting Arch Manning to be the No. 1 overall draft pick in the NFL since he was in high school. But after choosing to return to Texas for another year following his first year of NFL eligibility this past year, it’s possible he won’t come out into the NFL Draft next year either.
That’s what longtime draft analyst Todd McShay suggested in his recent appearance on the Brandon Walker College Football Show. He said that, after speaking to Manning’s father and grandfather, he feels that Manning entering the 2027 NFL Draft is “not, by any stretch, a guarantee.”
“With the support that he has around him at Texas – his family, etc. – this guy, if he puts it together this year, or maybe next year. No one’s talking about that,” McShay explained.
“I spent a lot of time with Archie, Cooper. Spent time down in the Thibodaux, La., talking to the Manning family. Like, the 2027 NFL Draft is not, by any stretch, a guarantee that Arch is going to be in it. So that’ll be an interesting storyline.”
Grading Manning
McShay feels that with the level of development that Manning has shown so far, he isn’t sure if he would put Manning ahead of either South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers or Notre Dame’s CJ Carr on the draft board. He mused that another year of college football could truly solidify his status as an undisputed No. 1 overall draft pick in 2028.
“Arch Manning is the one guy you look at and say the flashes the second half of the year, if he bottles that up – more consistency with his eyes, more consistency with his footwork – it’s there,” McShay said. “But it’s not there consistently enough for me to give him a grade that’s higher than [LaNorris] Sellers or even [CJ] Carr at this point.
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“But I recognize like 6’4 and change, 230 [pounds], mobility, instincts, playmaking ability. You can’t coach a lot of the stuff he has. He’s kind of like the antithesis of what you would think a Manning would be. Obviously, Cooper’s son and mom’s a good athlete. But you would think the refinement and the attention to detail and the mechanics would all be perfected by the time he gets to Texas. It’s not the case. Some view that as a negative. I actually view it as a positive.”
Manning took a redshirt year at Texas in 2023, so he is technically still eligible to play through the 2027 college football season.
