NFL mock draft: Which teams could be bad enough to draft Arch Manning in 2027?

While Quinn Ewers is the "now" in Austin, Arch Manning is the future of Texas Longhorns football. The five-star quarterback from the most famous family in football will be the Longhorns' starter next season.

Ewers might be turning pro anyway, but injuries and inconsistencies vs. the best teams on the Texas schedule may have him firmly outside of the QB4 range in this year's draft. Would he even be a first-round pick in 2025?

Before we lose our collective minds for the umpteenth time this week, Manning will be the Longhorns' starting quarterback next year in 2025 and the year after that in 2026. The Mannings spent four years in college before turning pro. Manning could conceivably start in Austin through the 2027 college season for all we know. The point is he is starting to give off the vibes of being a future first-rounder.

So what I am going to do today is identify a slew of NFL teams who might be bad enough, or in a decent enough position organizationally, to take Manning near the top of the 2027 NFL Draft. Again, we have the 2024-25 College Football Playoff left to be played, as well as two more college football seasons, before we throw all of our eggs into one basket in trying to figure out an NFL team for him.

In alphabetical order, here are 10 teams I think could conceivably end up taking Manning No. 1 overall.

Cleveland Browns

It is hard to forecast what some of these teams may do over the next two seasons and change. However, it feels more likely than not that the Cleveland Browns will be an underperforming team due to their inherent organizational dysfunction. No matter who is their head coach is entering the 2027 NFL offseason, I would not be shocked if Cleveland was still hopelessly unsettled at quarterback.

Draft positioning aside, it may come down to who is leading the organization in a few years. If it is still somehow Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski, that would bode wonders for the Browns' chances of drafting Manning. More importantly, keep in mind that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is the biggest booster of Uncle Peyton's beloved Tennessee Volunteers. Cleveland is not a complete afterthought.

Cleveland may have another good season between now and 2027, but this franchise is so unsteady.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Timing may be in the Jacksonville Jaguars' favor come 2027. While it seems more and more likely that this will be Doug Pederson's last hurrah as an NFL head coach, I am not ruling out the possibility of general manager Trent Baalke being let go by then, nor do I rule the chance that Trevor Lawrence might devolve into a backup by then. The point is Jacksonville could still be an NFL bottom-feeder.

There are two things that could tie Manning to Jacksonville. One, Uncle Peyton starred for years in the same division as the Jaguars when he was in Indianapolis. He may be able to provide more intel on the organization than you would think. The other is Uncle Eli used to play for Tom Coughlin in New York, who just so happens to still be the greatest head coach in the history of Jaguars organization.

While I would not be shocked if the Mannings say no to Jacksonville, there are worst places to be had.

Las Vegas Raiders

Although I fully expect for the Las Vegas Raiders to pursue a quarterback near the top of the 2025 NFL Draft, there are no guarantees that their draft selection will end up working out for them. The NFL has been increasingly unkind to quarterbacks on their rookie contracts. It has become en vogue to pivot off a quarterback before the end of his rookie contract. I would not rule out Las Vegas doing it.

Who even knows who will be leading the Silver and Black in three seasons? While the NFL's rebel franchise does not feel like the brand the Mannings will want to attach Arch to, there could be a need for him under center in a few years. If he is the quarterback that gets the Raiders back to being excellent in the very late 2020s and early-to-mid-2030s, we cannot rule out this as a possibility.

There are better fits to be had, but organizationally, we cannot rule out the Raiders from dysfunction.

Los Angeles Rams

Right now, the Los Angeles Rams might be my favorite potential landing spot for Manning in the NFL Draft in a few years. While I think Sean McVay will still be their head coach, the Rams might be ready to draft their next franchise quarterback in three offseasons. Matthew Stafford feels like a year-to-year player at this point in time. The Rams feel like they are teetering on going into a rebuild soon.

For me, the timing of it all matches up quite well with the Rams' timeline coinciding with Manning's timeline. So no, I would not be the least bit surprised if Manning was the first-round pick by the Rams in the 2027 NFL Draft, possibly the first overall selection. My thought is Stafford will start the rest of this year and probably a good way into 2026 before falling off a cliff. By then, the Rams will be looking.

While there is no way of forecasting this, my way-too-early pick to pick Manning would be the Rams.

Miami Dolphins

I don't know if I want to see Manning go to the Miami Dolphins, but they are certainly a contender to potentially draft him high in the coming years. Tua Tagovailoa is a down-to-down player at this point in his career. While Mike McDaniel has made this team playoff viable since taking over, the Dolphins are still one of the most dysfunctional organizations in the league by a country mile, folks.

Then again, the last time they put their faith in a curly-haired kid with a rocket right arm, the Dolphins were quite stable. Dan Marinos do not grow on trees, but this would be a draft pick that Phins fans from all around could get behind. I will go ahead and say this. If the Dolphins do not get a playoff win between now and the 2026-27 AFC playoffs, it might be time to make even more wholesale changes.

I feel that Manning potentially coming aboard could be the complete unifier this organization needs.

New Orleans Saints

Oh, this would be something. The New Orleans Saints have not drafted a quarterback in the first round since taking Arch Manning's Grandpa Red Archie out of Ole Miss in the early 1970s. Archie Manning was the best player on a struggling expansion team. He made a few Pro Bowls before making New Orleans his home. Arch Manning starred at Isidore Newman in high school before Texas.

While I think the Mannings will be especially calculated in figuring out where Arch Manning can play or not, I do think him going to his Grandpa Red's team may not tear away at the fabric of what he built there. In fact, I would say that Manning starring for his hometown team could be exactly what the Saints need to get out of their post-Drew Brees funk once and for all. This is every bit boom or bust.

The familiarity and timeline of the organization could lead the Saints to be the team to draft Manning.

New York Jets

The New York Jets are a team that Peyton Manning infamously went back to school at Tennessee for another year to avoid being drafted by. While they have had some playoff success since then, the Jets have not made the postseason in nearly a decade and a half. Regardless of if there is a change at the helm of ownership, I would not be surprised to see the Jets being in Manning's draft range.

Surely, the Mannings would need to have some assurances from Gang Green before going there. While they have let Peyton go to Indianapolis and Eli to the New York Giants, the Jets will need to pass the same test they failed previously a three decades ago, as did the Chargers when they used to play in San Diego. The Jets might be in a position to draft Arch Manning in a few years, but is he the pick?

This will come down entirely to who their next head coach and general manager are after this season.

San Francisco 49ers

As is the case with the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers could he heading towards a long-term rebuild by the time Manning comes out of Texas. While he and 49ers head coach share the same alma mater, there are no guarantees he will be the one leading San Francisco three years from now. Another Super Bowl hangover and another weird draft from John Lynch have the 49ers reeling again.

That being said, the 49ers could just as easily flip the script and get back to being Super Bowl viable in a year or so. Where I do have concerns are the limitations of Brock Purdy as a franchise quarterback, as well as the organization starting to stagnate a bit under their current regime. It may still be in place, but Manning is the fastest way towards it potentially getting an even longer runway.

Manning to the 49ers is not the craziest idea in the world, but San Francisco is a bit too well run now.

Seattle Seahawks

One of the best potential landing spots for any quarterback in the next few drafts would have to be the Seattle Seahawks. Mike Macdonald has had a strong first-year as their head coach. Even though he favors the defensive side of the ball, he does have Geno Smith under center who he can rely on. Smith should be the starter going forward in Seattle, but may be a possible bridge towards Manning.

As is the case with the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers in division, we cannot forecast behind even next year who will be the starting quarterbacks for these NFC West teams. Seattle's timeline may be just beginning with Macdonald having just taken over as head coach. Right now, I feel Seattle might be stable enough as an organization to potentially trade up for Manning around 2027.

There is also a chance for a complete reset if the Macdonald era fizzles out after the 2026 season.

Tennessee Titans

Who even knows what the Tennessee Titans are doing, honestly? This may be the NFL team in the state that Uncle Peyton starred in collegiately, but the Titans are a rebuilding franchise that seems to be getting everything wrong every step of the way. As it is the case with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Uncle Peyton may have some working knowledge about the Titans from having been in the division.

Timeline-wise, I could see the Titans being a real player to draft Manning in 2027. While I have no earthy idea of Brian Callahan or Ran Carthon will still be around to make that franchise-altering decision, I have some belief that the Titans could conceivably look to build their franchise forward with Manning as their cornerstone. The team needs something. Maybe Manning could provide that?

Of the handful of teams who are bad now, I still think the Titans will be bad when Manning declares.