Insider breaks down why Arch Manning does not care about going No. 1 in 2026 NFL draft

On3's J.D. PicKell believes Arch Manning will return for another season in 2026 with the Texas Longhorns. On Thursday's episode of "The Hard Count," the college football insider discussed the 2026 NFL draft odds that favor Manning to be the first pick. PicKell said that fans should not expect Manning to rush to play in the NFL.

"It's not even that I don't think he can potentially be the number one pick next year. I'm here to say, I don't even think he goes pro next year. I don't. I think Arch Manning, even though he will be eligible to go pro next year, will come back to Texas for another season," PicKell said (2:53 onwards).

The insider added that he believes the Texas star is content with taking his time to be ready for his NFL career. PicKell believes fans expect the quarterback to be in the 2026 NFL draft because of the current state of the league.

"It's so maybe jarring for the college football public or the public in general because it's so counter to what society tells us right now. We're all about instant gratification. That's why the portal packed every single cycle.

"That's why we see guys, you know, going pro before they're ready to go pro. It's all about right now. I want to have it. I want it all," PicKell said (3:10 onwards).

The quarterback will start for the Longhorns this upcoming season. Last season, he was the backup to Quinn Ewers, completing 61 passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns.

His best performance of his freshman year was in the team's 56-7 win against the UTSA Roadrunners on Sep. 14, 2024. He finished the game with 9 of 12 completed passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns.

The sophomore quarterback hopes to lead Texas to a College Football Playoff appearance for the 2025 season.

J.D. PicKell on why he believes Arch Manning chose to play for the Texas Longhorns

PicKell also discussed why he thinks the quarterback chose to play for Texas over other programs. He pointed out that the college football star could've gone to another team to play and be a starter last year. However, the quarterback felt that the Longhorns would make him a better player.

"I promise you, Arch Manning could've started as a true freshman at a lot of different schools. Chose Texas as a spot where he knew he'd sit, knew he'd develop, knew he'd get better," PicKell said (4:26 onwards).

PicKell also noted that Manning was comfortable playing behind Ewers last season because he is looking to take his time developing as a quarterback. The college football insider thinks that even if the Texas star performs well in the 2025 season, Manning isn't guaranteed to enter the 2026 NFL draft.