Arch Manning may be one of the biggest names in college football, but at least one NFL voice isn’t ready to stamp him as a first-round lock just yet.
A “high-ranking” NFL front office member told CBS Sports that Manning still has work to do before the draft chatter matches the hype. “He’s still got a ways to go,” the staffer said. In June, that same source added, “I think he’s an eventual first-round guy, but I don’t think the tape from last year says first round yet,” and described Manning as “a developmental (NFL) starter that still has a long way to go in terms of touch and processing and seeing the field, but you expect that he’s going to get it because he has all the physical tools and the wiring and the pedigree from his family and all that.”
That evaluation comes after a 2025 season that showed both the promise and the rough edges. Manning took over as Texas’ starter after spending his first couple of years in Austin behind Quinn Ewers.
His first stretch as the guy included an early-season loss to Ohio State, where the growing pains were obvious. But he steadied himself and finished the year by leading Texas to a Citrus Bowl win over Illinois.
Scouts still see plenty to like. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Manning has the kind of frame NFL teams want, along with the arm strength that jumps off the tape. What also separates him from Archie Manning’s famous sons is his mobility and his ability to create explosive plays when the pocket breaks down.
Even so, there are concerns. An NFL college scouting director told CBS Sports, “The good’s really good,” but also pointed to “severe issues last year with accuracy, ball placement, and just anticipation all over the field.”
The same evaluator said Manning stacks up with the top talent in the country on pure ability, but the finer points of the position remain the question. “Sometimes he looks like he’s skipping rocks.
If you watch the Ohio State game (last year), he looked terrible and looked scared and timid, but then towards the end of the year, he started playing better.”
Now Manning heads into the 2026 college football season as one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy. After that uneven start a year ago, he closed his sophomore season with 33 passing touchdowns and nearly 3,700 total yards. He’s already off to a strong start in 2026 too, throwing four touchdowns in Texas’ week one win over Texas State, even if the day began shakily.
For NFL evaluators, a big Heisman push would go a long way. If Manning turns that into a deep playoff run for Texas, it would answer plenty of the questions still hanging over his 2027 NFL Draft stock.
In Other News...
Arch Manning Showed Texas Fans Something Bigger Than His Viral Fall
Before Texas even got to the opening kickoff, Arch Manning had already given Longhorns fans a moment they were not expecting when he was knocked down by a bystander in the tunnel before the first game of the season. The scene spread quickly online and became one of those viral pregame clips that seemed destined to overshadow everything else, but Manning handled the moment with humor in his media availability and then turned the focus back where Texas wanted it.
Once the ball was in his hands, Manning showed the bigger takeaway for Texas was never the stumble itself. He settled in and delivered a strong performance, completing 20 of 27 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns, a response that mattered far more than the replay circulating on social media. For a fan base watching closely, it was a reminder that the noise around Manning can be loud, but his play on the field can still speak the loudest. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Gives Texas An Edge Money Usually Complicates
Arch Mannings name carries its own kind of gravity, and at Texas that now extends well beyond the huddle. Reported to have a $2.5 million contract for the current college football season, the Longhorns quarterback is still operating in a space where multiple NIL endorsement deals can add to his profile without turning him into the most expensive player in the sport.
For a program like Texas, that matters because money can so often become a source of noise, especially when revenue sharing and roster expectations are part of the conversation. Instead, Mannings setup may give the Longhorns a cleaner kind of edge as they get ready for No. 1 Ohio State, with the focus staying on the field rather than on the usual complications that can follow a high-priced quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Must Answer One Costly Question In Ohio State Rematch
Last seasons matchup with Ohio State offered Texas a reminder that good stretches of offense do not always add up to enough. The Longhorns moved the ball at times but left with a blank in the most important part of the field, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has pointed to that issue as one of the biggest lessons carried forward into this years rematch.
There is more confidence around the offense now, with Cam Coleman added at receiver and Arch Manning showing more pocket presence and decisiveness. Even so, the challenge remains the same for Texas in a game of this size: turn opportunities near the goal line into points, because against Ohio State the margin for error figures to be razor thin again. [Read more 🡒]