The microscope on Texas quarterback Arch Manning has been on his Longhorns jersey ever since he entered the university as the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning. The Longhorns quarterback is leading No. 1 Texas (4-0) against Oklahoma (2-2) in the Red River Rivalry game on Saturday.
On Thursday, “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast hosts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, joined Mike Greenberg and NFLb draft guru Adam Schefter on ESPN’s “Get Up.”
Schefter had some interesting comments on whether or not Manning has solidified himself as a top draft pick and can elevate his game enough from now to the end of the season to lead Texas to a national championship for the first time since Vince Young’s incredible feat in 2005.
Adam Schefter Says Arch Manning Is All Name No Game
The Allstate Playoff Predictor gives Texas the best odds in FBS to win the title at 15 percent.
“What NFL teams are thinking today is this. That he’s got the potential, the traits, the characteristics to develop into the No. 1 pick, but he has not yet done that to date,” Schefter said, with ESPN citing Manning’s unimpressive FBS rankings. The highly-touted prospect is 48th nationally in total QBR, 75th in completion percentage, 85th in passing yards and 59th in TD passes with just seven.
Manning had a 305-yard passing game with four TDs in the season opener against Texas State, but hasn’t thrown for more than 201 yards since. With the abundance of talent Manning has surrounding him on offense, Schefter says scouts want to see a higher caliber of performance from the 6-foot-4, 222-pound quarterback.
“He’s been good. Not great,” Schefter continued. “He has played well but not exceptionally well. He has not elevated to carry his team as often as Trinindad Chambliss (Ole Miss) and Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma state). So you look at Manning, here’s the question I would ask. If his name was Arch Greenberg, where would he be going high in the draft? I don’t know, he might be a mid-round pick. But he’s Arch Manning so he gets a little elevated. If he was Arch Greenberg he might be working at Katz Deli selling knishes.”
The Bussin’ Boys got a kick out of his rant, praising him for “mowing people down this week.”
The “shot at the Greenberg name,” as Will Compton described it, wasn’t as funny to the host as everyone else. But nonetheless, he got the drift. It was really a shot at the hype train behind Arch Manning due to his affiliation and sharing a last name with two of the greatest signal callers to ever do it. Manning appears to be on the same trajectory Eli Manning was when he was at Ole Miss. Manning just needs a couple of late game heroics to excite the talent evaluators.
Many NFL analysts and talent evaluators tend to agree with Schefter.
“He has not played up to being a first-round pick. Right now, I have 5 quarterbacks I would take before [Arch Manning] if the draft were tomorrow,” Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports said.
An unnamed former NFL scout on X had an even darker projection for Manning.
“Arch Manning does not belong in the first round conversation at this point of his evaluation process. I know. I’ve evaluated every single snap Manning has taken in his college football career. Manning doesn’t belong in the first or second round conversation at this point in the evaluation process and I challenge anyone in America to be able to produce credible and sustained evidence to the contrary.
I don’t care what his last name is. I scout the prospect, not the name. I’ve done the work on him and he’s not turning the corner from an NFL perspective. He’s actually regressing.”
Does Arch Manning Have The Legendary Pedigree Of His NFL Uncles?
The scouting reports between Arch, the son of Eli’s older brother Cooper, have some similarities. Eli’s talent was a bit more obvious because his team wasn’t very good and he still led the Rebels to 10 wins and a share of the SEC West title, a victory over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl, and a 31–28 win against Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
Eli Manning’s scouting report stated that he demonstrated unshakeable calm under heavy pressure, able to take severe punishment behind a weak offensive line without flinching. His field vision was unquestioned. Manning exhibited high-level pocket awareness and the ability to read defenses quickly despite a lack of high-end talent at Ole Miss.
He also had what the “magic” factor, as former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi called it. Accorsi justified his draft day trade for by highlighting Eli’s indefinable winning quality or “magic,” leading multiple late-game comebacks, finishing his collegiate career as the Maxwell, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, and Davey O’Brien awards winner, while placing third in Heisman voting.
RELATED: The only knock on Eli was that his arm strength supposedly didn’t rate as high as other QBs, but two Super Bowl wins over Tom Brady later and we see he was the total package. Even without crazy mobility.
Arch Manning Has More Pressure Than Most College QBs
Arch probably has a better arm than his uncle and he’s considered more of a high-level dual-threat ability with pocket evasion ability. Like his uncle, he is capable of making difficult throws and throwing the deep ball.
The main similarity scouts notice is in their clutch competitiveness. We know that Eli is one of the most clutch signal callers to ever do it, and Arch has been described as showing “fierce determination and poise late in close games (“over my dead body” grit”).
When it comes to pressure, maybe only Bronny James can relate to what Arch Manning has gone through since his arrival in Texas. Manning, who has an estimated name, image, and likeness (NIL) contract valuation of $2.5 million for the 2026 season, is still projected as a top 10 pick and scouts liken him to current NFL quarterbacks such as Justin Herbert and Sam Darnold.
Carrying the Manning name as a QB is no small burden. The shoes are too huge for one man to fill, but the pedigree says he’s going to be pretty darn good at the next level. He can start by running the table to a national championship this season.
