The Texas Longhorns found a way to hold on in a difficult Week 4 road matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers to keep their undefeated season alive. However, Texas quarterback Arch Manning may not have done himself any favors in regard to his NFL Draft stock on Saturday. Manning largely struggled to deal with the pressure that the Volunteers defense sent early and often in Saturday's battle of ranked SEC teams, as Tennessee was able to record six sacks of Manning in the game.
There were some bright spots for Manning, as he was able to complete 73 percent of his passes in the game and connected on several deep passes early on. More news: Nick Saban Reveals Which Team Will Be the ‘Surprise’ of the SEC Still, given that some have heralded Manning as a potential top pick in the upcoming 2027 NFL Draft, many who tuned into Saturday's game are not overly sold that Manning is as surefire of a top prospect as some have made him out to be. "It just seems like Arch Manning has a difficult time executing Sarks gameplans," wrote NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein in a post on X.
"I'm not saying it is all on him, but nothing really comes easily or is fluid. The offense has a hard time finding a rhythm and staying in a rhythm and it's been like that for awhile. It just never felt like that was consistently an issue when Quinn Ewers was the starter." "Arch Manning is slow to process information," wrote Xtra 106.3 radio host Carlos Medina in a post on X.
"It hasn't improved significantly since last season." "Is Arch Manning ever going to play a 4 Q game start-to-finish where the entire free world can honestly say; 'That's the #1 pick, hands down,'" wrote WFAN radio host Brandon Tierney in a post on X. "This is my third time seeing Arch Manning play live and my thoughts leaving the stadium have been the same after each," wrote ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid in a post on X. "Tools are clear, but the consistency is not.
His biggest issue continues to be that he locks onto targets and doesn’t always read coverage. He thrives in chaos." More news: Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss Gets Prestigious Recognition After LSU Win All in all, fans of the University of Texas certainly aren't going to be too upset with Manning's play considering it has only resulted in wins for the Longhorns thus far this season. As for how NFL front offices will see Manning's individual performance, that may very be a different story.
Notably, the Cleveland Browns reportedly brought multiple representatives to get an in-person view of Manning during Saturday's game. Manning will get his next chance to make an impression on NFL scouts when the Texas Longhorns return in Week 6 to face off against their rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners, after a Week 5 bye week.
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