Arch Manning is going to be in the news a ton this season. As he enters his first season at the unquestioned starting quarterback at Texas, many have already anointed him as the top overall pick in either the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft. ESPN’s Ryan Clark is putting the brakes on that. When discussing the […]
Arch Manning is going to be in the news a ton this season. As he enters his first season at the unquestioned starting quarterback at Texas, many have already anointed him as the top overall pick in either the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft.
ESPN’s Ryan Clark is putting the brakes on that. When discussing the matter on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday, the former NFL star asked a reasonable question, doubting Manning’s future being written in stone.
“I hate to be this guy, what if he’s not that good?” Clark stated. “We expect him to be one of those players that will have an opportunity to change a franchise, but what if he needs both years in order to reach his full potential and be everything he could possibly be?
“Quinn Ewers was a nice player. He got drafted in the fifth round. Quinn Ewers is not going to be a starting quarterback in this league. This is just me, but if I pay someone that much money in NIL, if their last name is Manning, and if I see them in two years with the possibility of being the No. 1 overall pick? When Quinn Ewers gets hurt and he gets to play, Quinn never gets the spot back, if he’s everything people believe him to be.
“Let’s give the kid an opportunity to show us that. Not because of what his last name is, but because the tape says it.”
It’s certainly an interesting scenario proposed by Clark. The idea of Arch Manning going first overall is far from a new sentiment, but it took on a new life earlier this week, when he pushed back at his grandfather Archie’s comments regarding the 2026 NFL Draft.
The elder Manning inferred that Arch would not go into the draft in the spring. Instead, he’d spend another year at Texas. The Longhorns quarterback had something to say about that.
“Yeah I don’t know where he got that from,” Arch Manning said. “He texted me and apologized about that. I’m really just taking it day by day right now.”
Alas, Clark respects Arch Manning wanting to control his narrative. He has a golden opportunity at Texas, but it’s all for naught if the Longhorns star doesn’t come through.
“Arch is like, ‘Look, if I go out here and ball out and they tell me I’m going to go No. 1 overall, guess what? I’m probably going to be in the draft.’ I love that for this kid. Listen, when you have that last name, there’s a level of expectation. There’s a level of pressure that comes along with it. You are from the quarterback royal family of the NFL,” Clark added.
“But Texas is absolutely stacked. Steve Sarkisian’s team has players everywhere. If Arch Manning does what he’s supposed to do, he’s going to have an opportunity to be the first overall pick. If he feels like it’s time to leave, he should be able to make that decision individually.”
Time will tell what the future holds for Arch Manning. He doesn’t have to make any decisions yet, but Ryan Clark will be watching him with a keen interest, wondering whether he can live up to the hype in 2025.
Category: Football
