Tanking NFL teams: don’t get your hopes up.
While the 2026 NFL Draft is still nowhere close on the calendar, all eyes are on Texas quarterback Arch Manning and whether or not he will enter the draft after his third season with the Longhorns.
The 21-year-old hasn’t hinted at anything yet, but his grandfather, the legendary Archie Manning, may have just killed the hopes and dreams of teams who may find themselves at the top of the 2026 draft boards.
“Arch isn’t going to do that,” Archie told the Texas Monthly of the possibility of his grandson entering the draft before graduating. “He’ll be at Texas.”
Manning, of course, is the nephew of quarterbacks Peyton and Eli, who notably each completed four years of school before declaring for their respective drafts.
Peyton was a four-year starter at Tennessee before going first overall in the 1998 draft.
After appearing in just six games as a freshman, Eli was a full-time starter for three seasons at Ole Miss before he declared for the 2004 draft and also went first overall.
Grandfather Archie also graduated from Ole Miss and was a three-year starter at quarterback before being drafted second overall in 1971.
If Arch were to declare for the draft after the upcoming season, his case for the top draft pick would be based only on one full campaign as the Longhorns’ starter.
Manning appeared in just two games as a freshman in 2023 sitting behind Quinn Ewers, but he made 10 loud appearances this past season, starting in two of them, and racking up nine passing touchdowns, four rushing and two interceptions.
Arch has the tools of the Mannings who came before him while also being a dual threat with running abilities that neither of his uncles had in their playing days.
NFL teams will obviously need to see a full season of work to consider making Arch the third Manning to go No. 1, or the fourth to go in the top two, but he currently projects to have his name near the top of draft boards, whether it’s in 2026 or 2027.
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