Mel Kiper Jr. thinks Arch Manning’s 2027 NFL Draft decision is obvious.
Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, was seen as a contender for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, heading into the 2026 college football season. However, his play on the field has not backed that up. Manning has since been dropped from Todd McShay’s rankings of the 10 best quarterbacks for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Kiper agrees with his former ESPN colleague.
The ESPN NFL Draft analyst believes that Manning has to come back to school.
“All I’ll say is right now, you’ve got to go back to college for another year,” Kiper said Monday on First Draft. “And if you don’t, it’s got to be the Green Bay Packer model of Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers where you’ve got your guy and you’re picking late first round, and you’ve got your quarterback for another three years – I’m saying three years. I’m not saying one, I’m not saying two.
“Patrick Mahomes sat for a year. Let’s forget the year. For Arch, I think it’s three years. It’s got to be the Jordan Love, Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers model if he comes out.”
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Kiper thinks that Manning has been far too inconsistent.
“In every game, you get the good, the bad and the ugly,” Kiper said. “That’s what you’re getting. It’s a wild ride. It’s going to be up, down and around. You might get a quarter, you might get a series, you might get a glimpse, you might get, maybe, a half. But you’re not going to get consistency. You’re just not going to. I keep waiting and waiting and waiting for that game.”
Paul Finebaum thinks it might even be time for Manning to get benched
Finebaum, known as the voice of the SEC, believes that it could be time for Manning to get benched at Texas.
“Yes, it is time,” Finebaum said Monday on First Take. “It’s a painful thing to say, and we all know the backstory. But what’s the point of continuing this agony? Go ahead and try somebody else. If you’re going to give KJ the reps in practice, let him start the game. I realize it’s Ole Miss. I realize it’s one of the biggest games in the country, and you know, give him a series or two. Are you wasting it? Maybe, but maybe Arch Manning will pick something up on the sideline.”
The ESPN analyst is mostly blaming his head coach, Steve Sarkisian.
“I still think he can be an elite quarterback, but I also believe that Steve Sarkisian has completely screwed it up,” Finebaum said. “First of all, Sarkisian shouldn’t be the offensive coordinator calling the plays. He’s also the head coach. I think I think he has put too much into Arch Manning’s head. I realize we have a quarterback on the panel and let him talk about it. But I’m just giving you the view from from the upper deck. It’s time to make a change at Texas.”
Texas has lost two straight games, to Oklahoma and Florida.
