Arch Manning was the talk of the town on Saturday after Quinn Ewers went down with an injury. Eventually, he’ll be the talk of the NFL Draft too.

The nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and the grandson of Archie Manning comes from a royal pedigree but he’s no nepo baby. The Texas Longhorns quarterback was a five-star and the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2023 because of his exceptional talent and sky-high potential coming out of high school.

What about when he’s coming out of college? Based on Manning’s performance for Texas against UTSA, it’s safe to say he’ll be a big-time NFL Draft prospect as well.

But NFL teams dreaming of drafting their very own Manning will have to wait a bit.

College football players have to be three years removed from high school to be eligible for the NFL Draft.

Manning enrolled at Texas in 2023. He took a redshirt as a freshman but his NFL eligible clock was still ticking. The 2024 season is his second in college.

That means Manning can declare for the draft as early as the 2026 draft, following his redshirt sophomore season in 2025.

Arch isn’t your normal QB prospect though. He went to Texas to be developed by Steve Sarkisian, knowing Quinn Ewers would block his path to starting immediately. Ewers is expected to leave for the 2025 NFL Draft but he has another year of eligibility remaining, for the record.

At this rate, Manning is a shoo-in to start the 2025 season for Texas, whether Ewers decides to continue his college career or not. That doesn’t mean he’s a shoo-in to declare for the draft as soon as he is able.

Whether it’s the 2026 NFL Draft or one further down the line, Manning is a name to watch. He just needs a catchy tanking phrase like…Panning for Manning?

Eh, we’ve got time to work on that one.