Peyton Manning was the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. Eli Manning was the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. He was traded to the NY Giants by the Chargers on draft day. Archie Manning was the No. 2 pick in the 1971 NFL Draft.
Where will Arch go? That answer depends on a lot of things. The general consensus is Arch Manning wants to start for the Longhorns for two years. If that holds true, Arch will be eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft.
But what if Arch Manning came out after this season? Where would he go in the 2025 NFL Draft? After roughly seven quarters of play, NFL Draft on SI thinks he’d probably go No. 1 overall.
So far, Manning has thrown for 576 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also has two rushing TDs.
There’s a feeling that the ’25 Draft is perceived as a weak one for elite starting QBs. Georgia’s Carson Beck, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Texas’ Quinn Ewers are generally seen as the top three QBs in this year’s draft. But none of the three are considered sure things.
“This means that Manning, with a full season of work along the same lines of what he has already produced, would have a strong chance to be the top pick in this year’s draft if he were able to declare. Again, he won’t be, but has the body type, arm talent, lower half creativity, and more that every NFL team covets in the most important position in professional sports.” — Cory Kinnan NFL Draft on SI
SI pointed out Manning’s first bomb of the ULM game definitely caught the attention of NFL Scouts. Kinnan thinks, if eligible, Arch would be the No. 1 pick.
“At the end of the day, the NFL is a quarterback league, and Manning has top end tools. He can throw the football a mile, drive it into any perceivable window, and has proven capable of using his legs as well. Through just a two-game sample size it is hard to project him with a high degree of accuracy, but in a weak quarterback class that includes his own teammate, there would be a real shot Manning could go first overall.” — Cory Kinnan NFL Draft on SI
Of course, Manning most likely won’t have a full season starting this year and won’t enter the 2025 NFL Draft, but it’s an interesting notion on how Manning already looks to NFL scouts.