'Peyton was like, yep, he'll be the No. 1 pick' - It took one pass for Peyton Manning to identity a future No. 1 NFL Draft pick

Back in the summer of 2008, Tennessee Vols legend Peyton Manning needed to see just one pass from a young quarterback to identify a future No. 1 NFL draft pick.

While leading the famous Manning Passing Academy, which was founded in 1996, Peyton saw Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Matthew Stafford throw one pass and he immediately knew that he was in presence of a future NFL star. 

Peyton's older brother, Cooper Manning, recently recounted the story of seeing Stafford throw at the Manning Passing Academy during an appearance on the Under the Numbers Podcast. 

"I can remember standing next to Peyton one time when these college kids were throwing, and Matthew Stafford dropped back and threw one. Peyton was like, 'Yep, he'll be the No. 1 pick,'" said Cooper. "It was like two throws — it was that simple."

Cooper also told a story about being impressed by a throw that future Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen made while taking part in the Manning Passing Academy.

"I remember watching Josh Allen — we had a quarterback competition, and it was raining," said Cooper. "He threw a ball 79 yards in the rain and hit the back of a moving golf cart — that was his target. I was like, 'Goodness gracious.'"

Stafford, by the way, ended up being the No. 1 selection in the 2009 NFL Draft. 

The Georgia standout was a promising NFL draft prospect when Peyton saw him in 2008, but it was actually Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford who was widely viewed as the likely No. 1 overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft at the time (Bradford ended up sticking around at Oklahoma for another season and was eventually the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft). 

Peyton, by the way, has previously talked about Stafford's impressive appearance at the Manning Passing Academy. 

“You were at our camp back in 2008 and I’ve got to tell you, I’ve never told you this, Eli and I were arguing over who had to throw after you because you were throwing the tightest spiral,” said Peyton to Stafford during the ManningCast in 2021. “I remember you were throwing a post route and you waited till the receiver got to like 60 yards before you threw it. For me, I’d have to hit the cut-off man to make a throw going 60 yards.”