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By Matt Galatzan
Contributing Sports Writer
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The 2025 NFL Draft is only a week old, and projections are already beginning to fly for 2026.
The consensus seems to be that 2026 will field a much more talented and deep class of quarterbacks, led by Cade Klubnik, Drew Allar, Garrett Nussmeier, and potentially, Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning.
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Manning, of course, is widely expected to be a contender for the No. 1 overall pick.
That will obviously depend on whether or not he declares for the draft in the first place, however.
And according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, that might not be the case.
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"Manning will be the crown jewel if he declares, and the pre-draft hype around him will be comparable to recent top prospects like Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams," Howe said. "Teams are skeptical Manning will declare, though, as they wonder if he'll play out his eligibility like uncles Peyton and Eli Manning. The Athletic spoke to five executives and scouts for this story, with all leaning in the direction of predicting Arch Manning would return to school in 2026."
This idea should not necessarily come as a surprise either.
Manning has only started two games in his career with the Longhorns to this point, having spent the last two years behind Quinn Ewers - one year of which was a red-shirt year.
Granted, in his minimal appearances, he has been extremely productive. That said, according to Howe, he still has plenty to work on heading into the 2025 season.
"Manning has the obvious pedigree and off-field intangibles; he's also got ideal size, accuracy to layer the ball all around the field, decision-making ability, speed and running power. There's some question over his throwing power, but it's not viewed as a concern if he continues to anticipate at such a high level. There's also plenty of time to improve his arm strength."
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