One assistant general manager in the NFL isn’t buying the hype with Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, was listed at No. 5 in ESPN’s updated quarterback rankings for the 2027 NFL Draft, with an anonymous AFC exec questioning why Manning creates “this blind faith.”
“What’s giving so many people this blind faith that there’s just this monstrous ceiling with him?” the assistant general manager said. “Maybe this current state is just who he really is as a prospect.”
Manning, who returned to Texas for his redshirt junior season after an underwhelming 2025, has the Longhorns ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 at 4-0 entering their showdown against Florida on Saturday.
He has gone 73-for-115 — throwing for seven touchdowns and tossing three interceptions — while collecting 862 passing yards and helping Texas secure a marquee win over Ohio State earlier in the season.
Manning, given his family’s history at the quarterback position, entered Texas with massive expectations and has been projected as one of the top picks in next year’s draft, and an AFC scout told ESPN that they think “someone will fall in love with what he can be in a few years.”
“He’ll always be graded on a different scale because of the name,” the anonymous scout told the outlet. “… I don’t think he’s the best in the class, but his flashes in games are fascinating and a preview of what could happen down the road.”
But inconsistencies since taking over as Texas’ full-time have made Manning’s draft outlook murky.
In the ESPN rankings, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, Miami’s Darian Mensah, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr were all ranked ahead of Manning — with the outlet citing his high time-to-throw number (2.95 seconds) and his off-target percentage (9.8 percent) as criticism.
Manning’s next chance to improve his draft stock will unfold Saturday, when Texas hosts No. 16 Florida, who was ranked No. 8 before falling by 28 points to Missouri.
Eli told Barstool’s “Pardon My Take” earlier this week that he selfishly hoped that Manning was drafted by the Jets in April, something that’d allow the Giants legend to attend games and allow for Manning to be near family.
Earlier this season, Manning was involved in an off-field controversy when he brought up an AI-created video of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian — who ended a postgame interview with ESPN reporter Holly Rowe before taking questions — slapping Rowe.
Manning apologized to Rowe.
