Texas quarterback Arch Manning is the betting favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, but he says he hasn’t even decided if he’ll be in the 2026 draft.
Asked about his NFL future at SEC Media Days, Manning said that’s not even on his radar.
“I’m really just worried about getting through this interview and then getting through the run tomorrow,” Manning said. “I’m just focused on this year and getting better each day.”
Manning mentioned growing as a leader of the whole team as a top priority for him right now, and indicated that any decision about the draft would be made only after the season.
If Manning still looks like a likely first overall pick at the end of this season, it would be surprising if he returns to college. But both of his first overall pick uncles, Peyton and Eli, exerted a high degree of control over their NFL futures: Peyton made a surprising decision to return to Tennessee in 1997 when he was the most likely first overall pick, instead waiting to become the first overall pick in 1998. And Eli told the Chargers he wouldn’t play for them when they picked him first overall in 2004, leading to a trade to the Giants.
Arch Manning has an even better opportunity to control his NFL future because the new landscape in college football means he’s making millions of dollars at Texas. If everything isn’t lining up to his liking heading into next year’s draft, he could be back at Texas, and not in the NFL, in 2026.
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