Nobody Is Higher On Arch Manning's NFL Draft Stock Than Dan Orlovsky

Arch Manning entered his 2025 campaign at Texas with the most hype of any player in the modern era of college football. He did not set the world on fire, he did not lead the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff, nor did he hoist the Heisman Trophy in New York. As ridiculous as they were, those were the expectations made by many.

When Texas' season did wrap up, the overall consensus surrounding Manning's campaign was that he was good, but not exactly great. He also threw a wrinkle into the entire system when he announced he'd be returning to Austin for year four ahead of Texas' win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.

READ: ‘Talk Is Cheap’: Arch Manning Delivered On Hype For Texas And Sets Stage For 2026 Heisman, CFP Run

The 2026 NFL Draft was supposed to be dominated by Arch Manning headlines. Even going back to his high school days, 2026 was set to be the year that yet another Manning would become a signal caller at the next level, follow in his uncle's footsteps, and be the guy for a franchise.

While that won't be the reality, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky thinks it very well could have been.

"He’d be the runaway No. 1 pick," Orvlosky explained on ‘The Dan Patrick Show.' "Arch Manning is kind of like the throwback 1970s quarterback with modern-day training and nutrition. I’m a huge fan of this guy. He’s physically, remarkably gifted. He’s intelligent when it comes to football, understanding of speed and space, all that. I think he’s wired the right way."

Arch Manning would go first-overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, per Dan Orlovsky. (Photo by Dustin Markland/Getty Images)

Orlovsky then went down an interesting path with his explanation, claiming that Manning's up-and-down tenure at Texas thus far should make him that much more intriguing for NFL teams in the future.

"When you watch him on the sideline, he’s ultra competitive," Orlosvky continued. "I think he’s weathered a lot. When he does go into the NFL, he’s going to have weathered so many different storms, and we know that’s a huge deal. So many different finger-pointing and adversity and hype and falling short and getting punched and getting back up. You’ve got to have that skill, you have to have that trait to be elite outside of the physical things."

Orlovsky, who spent 12 years in the NFL as a quarterback himself, also said that if Manning did declare for this year's NFL Draft, then the Las Vegas Raiders should draft him with the first-overall pick.

With Manning returning to Texas for another year, the majority of NFL mock drafts out there have Indiana's Fernando Mendoza heading to the Raiders with the No. 1 pick.