Arch Manning has all the physical talent in the world, but right now, he still does not look like a quarterback who fully knows how to control a game from the pocket.
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On a recent episode of The Herd, Joel Klatt and Colin Cowherd broke down Arch Manning’s uneven development, arguing that while the Texas quarterback has shown flashes of the talent everyone expected from the Manning name, NFL scouts are still waiting for the kind of consistent “wow” moments that separate hype from elite quarterback play.
“I had an NFL executive say to me in the last couple of weeks, he said: ‘Listen, I’m waiting for the wow. There are moments when I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s what it should look like. He’s Arch Manning, he’s a Manning, that looks like a Manning,’” Cowherd recalled. “But he goes, ‘I haven’t seen wow.’ This older executive said, ‘I saw wow with Eli at Ole Miss. I saw wow with Peyton Manning.’”
Cowherd noted that while Manning occasionally shows the traits expected from someone with his football pedigree, the elite-level consistency has not fully arrived yet.
Klatt completely agreed with that assessment, pointing toward one major area Manning needs to improve: doing it over and over again.
“I see the same things that you were just alluding to, which is that there are moments when it is really, really good. I think that the consistency piece is the next step for him, to consistently do it,” Klatt said.
The FOX analyst explained that there is a big difference between having incredible physical tools and truly knowing how to operate an offense from the pocket. Manning is at his best when plays break down because his athleticism allows him to escape pressure, throw off-platform, and create something out of nothing.
However, Klatt believes relying too much on that “schoolyard mode” will not work against elite defenses. To take the next step, Manning has to improve his pocket presence, process information faster, stand tall under pressure, and anticipate throws before windows fully open.
Interestingly, Klatt pointed out that Manning’s athletic ability could actually be a double-edged sword. Because he has always been athletic enough to escape trouble, he did not have to develop his internal pocket clock as early as traditional pocket passers.
That is where his development differs from his famous uncles, Peyton and Eli Manning. Both were pure pocket quarterbacks who could not simply run away from defenders, forcing them to master timing, anticipation, and field vision at a much younger age.
“This is generally speaking, not just for Arch: guys who are athletic and have been able to get out of trouble their whole lives, beat a defense with their legs, and play schoolyard-type ball, typically develop the operation side much later. They develop it later because they haven’t had to develop it yet; they have just been able to run around,” Klatt said.
The statistics back up some of the concerns surrounding Manning’s development. While he showed incredible toughness during Texas’ wild fourth-quarter comeback attempt against Ohio State, his overall performance has been far from perfect. His hesitation inside the pocket has occasionally led to costly negative plays.
During Texas’ road matchup against Tennessee, Manning’s slower internal clock became a major issue as he took six sacks and was penalized twice for illegal forward passes while trying to escape pressure.
Despite entering the season with massive expectations and among the favorites for the Heisman Trophy, Manning has not completely lived up to the early hype yet. So far, he has thrown for 862 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Former Heisman winner Robert Griffin III also echoed Klatt’s analysis, pointing out that the game simply “does not look easy for Arch yet.”
At the end of the day, Klatt remains confident that Manning has everything needed to bridge the gap and become a premier quarterback. Having elite physical talent is the hardest thing to find, and Arch has that in abundance.
Now, it is about slowing the game down mentally, becoming more comfortable inside the pocket, and learning how to dissect defenses from the inside out rather than constantly searching for the next incredible escape.