ESPN's latest Arch Manning update should have Jets fans feeling sick

For nearly a year now, some New York Jets fans may have been wearing their Temu Arch Manning Jets jerseys to the bar on Sunday afternoons. 

Given that the Jets have three first-round picks in next spring’s draft, those $20 jerseys may soon prove correct. Manning remains an early name to be a top-five pick, if not the third member of his family to go No. 1. 

Manning unsurprisingly returned to Texas following an inconsistent 2025 campaign, though that hasn’t dampened the expectations and optimism for fans seeking a franchise quarterback. 

But as an unnamed NFC scout told ESPN’s Jordan Reid, maybe we’re still putting the cart before the horse. 

“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 NFC scout said. “I see Daniel Jones when I watch him — a good, not great, prospect.”

With respect to Jones, that’s not exactly someone worthy of the No. 1 pick. 

Should the Jets be concerned about Arch Manning’s pro potential?

Even the most experienced scouts and draft analysts don’t bat anywhere close to .500, nor have they ever. All it takes is an injury or the wrong fit to completely derail a career, sometimes beyond the point of salvation. 

For the sake of conversation, let’s say that Manning is, more or less, the quarterback who Daniel Jones was while with the Giants. He’d be league-average and likely closer to the 20s than the top 10. 

That’s not good enough for a first-round pick, let alone one who could go in the top five. Even if you gave Manning the 2000 Ravens defense or the Legion of Boom, we’d still likely look at Manning and say “meh.”

And yes, a Super Bowl ring could easily change the narrative. But when you’re taking a quarterback that high, you want Matthew Stafford rather than Marcus Mariota (who, in fairness, went No. 2). 

By no means do I believe Manning is guaranteed to become a multi-time Super Bowl champion like his uncles Peyton and Eli. The simple truth, and I have no problem admitting it, is that I don’t know. None of us do. 

So if you’re a Jets fan reading that scout’s take and already feeling anxious about Manning being a bust, don’t let it get to you. Depending on how this season plays out, we might not even see him declare for next year’s draft. 

For now, at least you have Cade Klubnik, whose hype train stops for no man.

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