Why Rams Should Not Be All-In on Arch Manning

The Rams have been subtly linked to Arch Manning ever since Les Snead took time to speak with the legacy quarterback at Texas' Pro Day.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer made some calls around the NFL to get a sense of how they feel about Manning as a potential 2026 quarterback prospect as teams look towards the future after an abysmal 2025 class for the position.

Manning is taking over for Longhorns legend and current Miami Dolphin Quinn Ewers as Manning prepares to enter the season as QB1 for the first time in his collegiate career.

Here are what two scouting directors, who wished to remain anonymous, said about Manning.

“I get that everyone’s excited,” one AFC college scouting director told Breer. “That run happened and people started talking—they’re almost surprised with that last name that he has that speed, and the ability to generate big plays with his legs, and he gets transformed into this elite prospect. The reality is we haven’t really seen him run the offense with any consistency yet. And that’s not his fault, he just hasn’t played.

“What are we looking at? You’d like to watch a quarterback in double-digit games to really evaluate them. … At other positions, you might get a feel after watching four games and have a good idea of who a guy is. The quarterback position is much different, it requires a much larger bank of film. You want to see him against a variety of different looks. In college, the talent is not as concentrated, so you want to see him against an Alabama or a Georgia.”

“You just don’t know until they’re really playing,” said another AFC college scouting director. “Right now, the body of work is too small. We’ve seen big guys with talent, the tools, the arm, that don’t know how to process, and don’t have the accuracy to all levels of the field consistently enough. What we have on [Manning] isn’t nearly enough. You could guess, but that’s really all you’ll be doing—guessing.

It's safe to say that unless Manning goes supernova in 2025, he's likely returning to school in 2026. A blow for the Rams, but as one door closes, another one leads to new possibilities, and that possibility is LaNorris Sellers.