Jets have a new Arch Manning reality to consider amid 2027 quarterback questions

With two wins under their belt, the New York Jets may already be ineligible for whatever “Suck for Luck” mantra ends up attached to Texas quarterback Arch Manning. 

Then again, Manning’s fourth-quarter interception against Oklahoma last weekend felt like something straight out of the Jets’ misery-filled playbook. 

The midpoint of the college football regular season means the way-too-early mock drafts are officially over. Instead, we’ll spend the next six months reading legitimate mock drafts that will be outdated within two weeks, including whatever the Jets potentially have planned at quarterback. 

But what happens if Manning, who has been considered a consensus No. 1 pick since high school, decides not to enter the 2027 draft? Pro Football Focus certainly feels that way, and the controversial outlet omitted him from its Oct. 13 mock draft. 

What should the New York Jets do if Arch Manning doesn’t declare for the 2027 NFL Draft?

Let the record show that we are not scouts, nor do we consider ourselves “draft analysts” or anything of the sort. We leave those titles to the people who viewed Marvin Harrison Jr. as a safe pick and loved the Titans’ decision to pair Cam Ward with Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll. 

Pro Football Focus listed five quarterbacks in Tuesday’s mock draft, with the Jets taking Notre Dame’s CJ Carr at No. 9. For those curious, Gordon McGuinness predicted that Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker (No. 3 to Miami) and Oregon’s Dante Moore (No. 5 to Tampa Bay) would go above the Fighting Irish standout. 

We’d personally caution Darren Mougey to avoid Moore, who remains out following a concussion, and we mean that as respectfully as possible. That has all the makings of a disastrous pick, and the Jets can’t afford their third quarterback bust in a decade. 

You might be thinking the Jets should hold off on a 2027 prospect and draft Manning in 2028. But if Mougey doesn’t plan to take a first-round quarterback, then he’s better off packaging two of those three picks for a proven veteran. 

For as touted a quarterback as Manning was, and arguably still is, what does it say that he’s no longer viewed as a first-round lock? Jets fans can’t view things as “Manning or bust” when they just bolstered their roster by taking four players within the first 50 picks. 

Which teams could take a quarterback in the 2028 NFL Draft?

For now, we’re assuming the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers will all be looking for a new quarterback; McGuinness mocked Missouri’s Austin Simmons and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss to Cleveland (No. 13) and Pittsburgh (No. 16), so that tracks. 

We’ll list the Arizona Cardinals as a “maybe,” because they just used a third-rounder on Carson Beck. Let’s also not forget about the New York Giants, who have watched Jaxson Dart battle concussions and a serious knee injury through his first two seasons. Tennessee must also decide whether any of the quarterbacks are a better option than 2025 No. 1 pick Cam Ward, who has looked atrocious. 

McGuinness mentioned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a wild card, and we’ll add the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans to that group; the Texans still haven’t reached an extension with C.J. Stroud, and that’s not expected to change anytime soon. 

All of those teams better hope the quarterback they take actually understands overtime, unlike the injury-prone Jayden Daniels. Nothing says leadership like not knowing what could result in a tie.

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