Texas quarterback Arch Manning has generated “real concern about him within the scouting world” thanks to an uneven start to the 2025 season, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.
One NFL scouting director isn’t ready to draw any firm conclusions about the redshirt sophomore but believes he has some flaws to iron out.
“He’s talented, but he needs to get rid of what’s going on with him,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s all mental, but I do know he’s dealing with a level of pressure that nobody else we’re talking about is dealing with.
“We just need to see a lot more of him before anybody can make a determination about him. He just really hasn’t played a lot. It’s OK to be a little bit developmental and still have high upside. You just gotta let him develop.”
Manning’s stock hasn’t fully rebounded from his forgettable performance in a 14-7 loss to Ohio State in Texas’ opener. He went 17-of-30 for 170 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
More than just the raw numbers, the highly touted signal-caller didn’t look sharp and made some puzzling decisions.
In the Longhorns’ three wins since then, Manning has thrown for 718 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions while posting a 172.0 passer rating. Because those games came against San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston, nobody is rushing to put him back in the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Texas opens its SEC slate Saturday against Florida, so the next few months will provide a much better gauge of where Manning sits as a draft prospect. Matchups with No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 16 Vanderbilt, No. 12 Georgia and No. 6 Texas A&M lie ahead, and each will present a difficult test.
Manning has plenty of time to assert himself as one of the top QBs in the 2026 draft class. The Longhorns’ conference games may instead make it abundantly clear he needs another year of seasoning in college before making the jump to the NFL.
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