Coming into the 2026 college football regular season, Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning was viewed by many as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
But, six weeks into the season, Manning is dropping – fast – in the minds of scouts and draft analysts.
“We showed arrogance in believing that Arch Manning can do anything. And he almost did, except he finally got in the way of himself,” Paul Finebaum said Sunday morning on The Matt Barrie Show, referring to Texas’ loss to Oklahoma.
“And I was really troubled by how he had played up to this point. I came away thinking, I don’t know what this guy’s going to do. Because he is not the elite player that we all tried to make him out to be. He can be great in moments, as we saw near the end of the game, as he threw that great play that set up the touchdown, but he can just be downright stupid in others.”
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Urban Meyer, meanwhile, argues that Manning is just a good, not great, QB.
“His freshman year when he played a handful of games against lesser opponents, and then, me and you, Rob, sat there together and you said, GMs are watching this and a first-round Heisman, remember I looked at you and go ‘he’s not that good yet,’” Meyer said on his Triple Option podcast.
“No one’s saying that anymore. Maybe a year from now. Is he a bad quarterback? No, he’s a good quarterback, but he’s just not living up to everybody’s expectations.”
But, as Mel Kiper Jr. has updated his Top 10 prospects for the 2027 NFL Draft class, where does Manning fit in?
Outside of it, apparently.
Kiper’s Top 10 2027 NFL Draft prospects
Kiper does not have Arch Manning in his latest ranking of the 10 best players for the 2027 NFL Draft class.
- Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith
- Texas EDGE Colin Simmons
- Notre Dame CB Leonard Moore
- Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker
- Miami QB Darian Mensah
- Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss
- Notre Dame QB CJ Carr
- Clemson CB Ashton Hampton
- Indiana WR Charlie Becker
- Florida RB Jordan Baugh
Mel Kiper Jr. has four different quarterbacks on his list, but Manning is nowhere to be found, and at this point in the season, it’s hardly surprising.
Manning will have to play his way up the draft boards if he wants to come out of school and enter the pros in 2027.
