ESPN analyst explains why Arch Manning should stay at Texas beyond 2025
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For much of the offseason, Arch Manning was the betting favorite to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. His grandfather, longtime NFL signal-caller Archie Manning, poured cold water on that theory earlier this week by saying Arch would “be at Texas” in 2026. Some people are ready to thrust Arch into the NFL, but ESPN’s Damien Woody believes he’d be wise to heed his grandfather’s advice.
Woody discussed Archie’s comments Friday morning on Get Up. He suggested the Manning family will follow the same trajectory with Arch that they utilized with his uncles, Peyton and Eli: as much collegiate experience as possible.
“It’s all about just getting reps, getting snaps. We see the correlation. A lot of these guys that come into the league that play a lot more games, like a Bo Nix. It’s not a coincidence that a guy like Bo Nix had a lot of success,” Woody said. “Jayden Daniels played a bunch of games in college. He comes into the National Football League and has a lot of success. So I don’t think the Manning family is going to sway off of that. They’re going to play a bunch of games… so they’re naturally prepared for what’s coming at the pro level.”
Peyton Manning played 45 games and threw 1,381 passes at Tennessee. Eli Manning — with 43 games and 1,363 pass attempts — did essentially the same thing at Ole Miss. Thus far at Texas, Arch has seen action in only 12 contests and tossed 95 passes. With 500 pass attempts in 2025, he wouldn’t reach half of Peyton’s or Eli’s career total.
Nobody is saying Arch won’t succeed at the professional level if he enters the 2026 NFL Draft. But the complexity of modern NFL schemes requires a level of processing that can only be attained through live reps. Honing his skills in college, without the weight of a professional franchise’s expectations on his shoulders, makes a ton of sense. If it worked for Peyton and Eli, it can work for him.
