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By Reice Shipley
Contributing Sports Writer
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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has long been expected to potentially find himself in position to be the top quarterback off the board in the upcoming 2027 NFL Draft. And his play in the Longhorns' Week 2 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes has only further confirmed this possibility in the eyes of one former NFL star.
If you strictly look at the box score, Manning's performance against the Buckeyes was nothing to write home about, throwing for just 195 yards with one passing touchdown and one interception.
However, Manning rose to the occasion when he needed to do so, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to ultimately stun the Buckeyes and escape with a 24-23 victory that ultimately has now positioned the University of Texas as the No. 1 ranked team in the latest AP Poll.
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Discussing Manning's performance during an appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III explained why he believes that Manning's performance was "a first overall pick in the draft performance", even though the individual stats weren't exactly stellar.
"I was impressed with his resilience and his perseverance in the game," said Griffin III. "I know a lot of quarterbacks... When Cam Coleman catches the ball and then tosses it to the DB when he hits the ground. They are done. They are like 'Oh my god, it's not meant to be'. How about (Ryan) Wingo? A perfect throw, dropped. Arch Manning did not panic, he stayed the course and came back from 20 point down against a team that might have the best roster in college football.
"All of the mistakes that they made, Texas overcame that. To me, although that stats weren't there. I know that we live in a box score watching type of environment right now. That, to me, was a first pick in the draft performance by Arch Manning. Because if you're looking for a franchise quarterback, you need him to weather the storm. I think Arch Manning is showing you just who he is by that performance alone. He is growing as a leader."
It's hard to disagree with Griffin's sentiment here. Manning has clearly shown the kind of growth that NFL scouts have long been waiting to see out of him as a quarterback that can clearly overcome significant adversity against some of the top teams in the country.
The Texas Longhorns will look to continue their positive momentum when they host UTSA in Week 3 before heading to Knoxville, Tennessee for another tough test in Week 4 against the No. 15 ranked Tennessee Volunteers that will give Arch Manning another opportunity to impress NFL scouts.
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