There are a few places Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning should hope to avoid whenever he decides to enter the NFL, and the Cleveland Browns are one of them.
As much as we don’t want to see Arch land in Cleveland, it will remain a possibility given the franchise’s status as a terrible team that could be picking high in the draft routinely over the next few years.
The worst-case scenario was predicted in a 2026 NFL mock draft from NFL Trade Rumors’ Ethan Woodie that has Manning landing with the Browns at No. 2.
“Manning has a big name to live up to. It’s impressive that in the few games we’ve seen him in action, he’s lived up to the billing and then some,” Woodie wrote. “His command of the offense is advanced for his age — he reads defenses well pre-snap, plays with impeccable timing and touch on his passes, and is a natural at manipulating the pocket. All eyes will be on the new Longhorns starter in his first full season of action.”
While there’s still a long way to go between now and next year’s draft (and the 2027 draft if Manning declares then), Manning is on a trajectory to being an elite quarterback prospect.
He has shown he has all the tools in his limited opportunities, including impressive arm talent, athleticism and overall command of the offense.
Now, it’s about Manning proving himself as a starter, something he’ll get a chance to do in 2025 with Quinn Ewers gone to the NFL.
The Browns dipping into next year’s draft for a quarterback would mean that they’re quickly giving up on Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, both of whom were drafted in 2025.
Manning will be up against it by default if he lands in Cleveland, a franchise that has a terrible history with developing quarterbacks. The Browns are historically a dumpster fire in general, and you need not look further than the Deshaun Watson debacle the franchise is currently going through.
The Browns will likely be bad in 2025 and that would put them in position to get a crack at the Texas star if he lives up to the hype, but Manning actually has to declare for Cleveland to get him.
Will Arch buck the Manning trend and come out of college early?
We tend to think that won’t happen, no matter how well he plays. And, it’s even less likely to happen if he’s staring down the barrel of having to be the Browns’ next quarterback.
If Manning does indeed declare and the Browns stand to get him, he might want to take a page out of uncle Eli’s book and force his way to a different team.
