Mel Kiper Jr. pinpoints what Texas’ Arch Manning is lacking amid dropping 2027 NFL Draft stock appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
ESPN’s well-known NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. released his first Big Board rankings for the 2027 class. He has Arch Manning ranked 24th overall, as the Texas Longhorns quarterback continues to struggle on game days. Kiper discussed Manning’s draft outlook with Field Yates, and it doesn’t sound too great.
Kiper stated that the redshirt junior offers a good, bad, and ugly performance nearly every game. The lack of consistency is seemingly what Kiper notices the most when evaluating Manning. The popular NFL Draft analyst also questions if Manning just seemingly lacks a feel for the quarterback position.
“You always in every game you get the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Kiper said about Manning. “That’s what you’re getting. It’s a wild ride. It’s going to be up, down, and around… You’re not going to get consistency. You’re just not going to. I keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting for that game… That scintillating performance…
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“Somebody asked me this past week… ‘What’s he lacking?’ Is it instincts? Is it just a feel for the position? You got to be able to see things,” Kiper continued about Manning. “You got to react to things instantaneously. And decision-making comes from that feel.”
These are all fair concerns for Arch Manning, as the 22-year-old just hasn’t put everything together at the college level. After a shaky 2025-26 campaign, the struggles have continued into this season, as Manning has thrown for 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 63.9% of his pass attempts.
Whether Manning declares for the 2027 NFL Draft is up to him, but speculation is slowly growing that his best decision might be to stay at Texas for at least one more year. He’ll have a chance to finally right the ship in Week 8 when his No. 19 Longhorns take on the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels.
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