Arch Manning Compared to Daniel Jones by NFL Scout, 'Good, Not Great, Prospect' in 2027 Draft

One NFL scout made a not-so-flattering pro comparison for Texas quarterback Arch Manning heading into the 2026 season.

"Everyone's falling in love with the future vision of the player, and he simply hasn't shown anything close to that right now," the scout told ESPN's Jordan Reid. "I see Daniel Jones when I watch him — a good, not great, prospect."

Reid went on to say Oregon's Dante Moore is currently the majority pick as the best QB in the 2027 draft class right now.

Despite his uneven sophomore season, a ton of hype once again surrounds Manning. He went first overall in a June mock draft from Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski.

The Longhorns star threw for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 13 starts. He also ran for 399 yards and 10 scores.

Manning undoubtedly looked like a more assured quarterback in the second half, and that's being used to project ahead into the upcoming campaign.

"He was simply trying to do too much early on, but I thought he relaxed around midseason and put some really good stuff on tape," a different NFL scout said to Reid.

Whatever team ultimately winds up taking Manning will almost certainly hope he's a better NFL quarterback than Jones.

Jones was in the midst of a renaissance with the Indianapolis Colts before suffering a torn Achilles, but his pro career has been broadly disappointing. While the Colts are paying him a good chunk of change, he's far down on the list of QBs you'd want to build a franchise around.

Especially until the season kicks off, opinions on Manning are going to be all over the place.

All of the tools are seemingly there, but he has yet to put it all together on the field. Much like last year, there are going to be overreactions — be it positive or negative — based on Texas' matchup with Ohio State as well.

Once we get to next spring, NFL teams should at least have a better idea of Manning's ceiling.