Where would Arch Manning be selected if eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft?

Pretty high.

Sep 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up ahead of the Texas Longhorns' game against the ULM Warhawks at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins-Imagn Images / Sara Diggins-Imagn Images

Arch Manning, while not eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft, made his first career start for the Texas Football program this weekend against Louisiana-Monroe.

While his outing was a bit more uneven than one would have expected given the level of competition, Manning did put a flurry of impressive throws on display on Saturday night. He finished his first career start 15-of-29 passing for 258 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Pairing this with his first significant outing against UTSA last week when he came in for the injured Quinn Ewers (another 2025 NFL Draft prospect to keep tabs on), Manning now sits with 576 yards passing, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions.

This has us, and many more, asking the question: just how high would Manning go if he were eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft?

This class is perceived as a weak one with no standout quarterback separating from the packs. Georgia's Carson Beck, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, and Ewers stand out at the top of the list right now, but there is no bonafide franchise quarterback or ascending talent that demands to be the absolute top pick in the draft. This is why players like Colorado's Travis Hunter, Michigan's Will Johnson Jr., and Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. have favorable odds of being selected with that top pick.

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.

Especially in this class.

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.

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