The reviews are in for Arch Manning’s season debut as the Texas starting quarterback, and things were decidedly mixed.
One scout told Fox Sports that the 14-7 loss to Ohio State was “a little hard to watch,” while some preached patience for the youngster.
During Manning’s highly anticipated start on Saturday afternoon in Columbus, representatives from 22 NFL teams were on hand, with 33 scouts taking in the action.
Manning completed 17 of 30 pass attempts against the Buckeyes for 170 yards with a touchdown and one interception. He also rushed 10 times for 39 yards.
One NFC scout told Fox Sports that Manning was in a lose-lose situation with all the hype around him entering the game, but thought he would have played better.
“Honestly, it was a little hard to watch,” the scout said. “He’s just been hyped up so much. Almost no matter what he did, he couldn’t have met those expectations. But I will admit that I thought he’d be better than he was.”
Another scout noted that the secondary for Ohio State was “very good” and there were a number of players on it that will be playing “in the league” in the future.
While the pendulum of public opinion on Manning has swung the other way, two scouts warned observers that it is “too early in the process.”
“He’ll be fine,” an AFC scout said. “[Texas coach Steve Sarkisian] will coach him up. You guys [media] made the mistake of overhyping him based on two games last year. Don’t make the same mistake of doubting him now based on one bad game to start this year.”
Daniel Kelly, a former scout for the Jets, wrote on X that he liked a lot of what he saw from Manning after a “robotic” first quarter.
“I’m actually encouraged by what Manning put on tape against Ohio State,” Kelly wrote. “He’s showed improvement in several key areas. He’s gotten better at seeing the whole field. He’s better at going through his progressions and delivering more accurately on his 2nd and 3rd reads. And he’s A LOT better at feeling pressure. I noticed several plays against Ohio State he was able to get out of danger and either pick up yardage with his legs or he was able to sidestep pressure while keeping his eyes downfield.”
Manning told reporters Monday that “I’ve got to play better,” and Sarkisian noted that some of the issues with Manning’s throwing game were “definitely [lessons] learned on that stuff.”
Source link
