Scouts reveal Arch Manning’s NFL outlook amid slow Texas start

Arch Manning’s slow start to the 2025 season isn’t totally affecting his potential NFL prospects, but some experts are preaching patience.

ESPN surveyed a group of 25 NFL scouts and executives, with just one putting the Texas signal-caller as the top quarterback in the 2026 draft class.

A big reason for this is that many in the group expect Manning will delay his NFL career and focus on the 2027 draft after another college season.

“He’s very talented,” one scout told ESPN. “Just from top-to-bottom, arm talent. Just understanding in the pocket and seeing the field and feeling the field. You see his arm strength. He just needs to get everything under control and for the game to slow down.”

Since this season is Manning’s first as the starter for Longhorns after waiting patiently for the role behind Quinn Ewers for two years, it’s not a total surprise that this is the expectation.

However, this was solidified further after Texas got off to a 2-1 start, with Manning putting up uneven results.

Across the three games, Manning has completed just 55.3 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and three interceptions.

The performance from the much-hyped prospect has led to boos from Texas fans, especially since Archie Manning’s grandson was viewed as a Heisman Trophy contender before the season kicked off.

Manning is looking to rebound against Sam Houston State, and ahead of the Saturday night matchup, ESPN’s “College GameDay” hosts took a stab at why things have gone wrong for him.

Nick Saban, who guided a number of great quarterbacks when he coached at Alabama, said that going back to the basics will help Manning build confidence.

“Like, his mechanics are a little off; he’s a little more side-armed than he was a year ago,” he said. “You know, his footwork is not always exactly right in terms of his accuracy. I think it affects your confidence a little bit. I think he’s relying a little bit too much on running now rather than reading things out.”

“You don’t practice to get it right; you practice until you can’t get it wrong,” Saban added. “And that’s what you’ve got to do, so you create the right habits so that you can play with great mechanics and good fundamentals.”

Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit both admitted they were part of the reason for the lofty expectations for Manning that might’ve caused “mental” struggles for the young quarterback.

“I feel like I was part of the problem,” McAfee said. “You know, I was crowning Arch before he even took a snap this year as the starter and before even seeing what this team was and how it was going to go for Arch Manning.”

“This kid’s been throwing the football his whole life. And all of a sudden, he can’t complete a pass in cases where the guys are wide open. It’s mechanics, but I think it’s emotional. It’s mental,” Herbstreit added. “It’s what you’re talking about. Unrealistic expectations – ‘He’s better than Peyton. He’s better than Eli, he’s the first pick next year in a draft,’ and now this guy’s got to go out and try to live up to that.”