Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has not lived up to the unrealistic expectations that had him predicted to win the Heisman Trophy and be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft before even his first season as a starter. But despite his struggles this season, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky still thinks Manning will be the top pick in the NFL Draft – just a year later than originally expected.
Manning has faced his fair share of criticism given his struggles relative to the unreasonable expectations. But during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up! on Thursday, Orlovsky came to the young quarterback’s defense.
With the way Manning has performed so far this season, it now seems like he will have to wait until 2027 before entering the NFL Draft. At that point, though, Orlovsky believes that Manning will be the top overall pick.
“Arch Manning is going to be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft,” Orlovsky said via On3. “I’ve never felt better about that than watching this past week… He’s custom-made for the NFL game.”
Manning has undeniably struggled at times this season, leading the Longhorns to just a 3-2 record through their first five games despite beginning the season as the top-ranked team in the country. In the two losses, Manning completed less than 60 percent of his passes while throwing as many interceptions as touchdowns. His worst game actually came in a win against UTEP, where he completed just 44 percent of his passes for just 114 yards.
Orlovsky, though, seems to blame much of those struggles on a bad situation for the young quarterback.
“Let’s be very clear about Texas,” Orlovsky said. “It’s probably as big of a roster whiff as we’ve had in years. It’s arguably the worst offensive line in the SEC. They don’t have a tailback who’s a difference maker right now. Their best receiver is a redshirt freshman named Parker Livingstone. This is not a very good football team.”
Obviously, it would take quite a bounce-back season for Manning next year for Orlovsky’s prediction to become a reality. But he seems confident in the young quarterback, despite what he’s shown so far this season.
