Arch Manning is considered in early projections as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, if he decides to leave Texas after next season. Quinn Ewers kept the enormously hyped and talented Manning on the bench for the past two seasons.
Ewers wasn't considered anywhere close to Manning as an NFL prospect, but he was a productive quarterback for a good Longhorns team. When Ewers' college career was done he didn't generate a lot of excitement in NFL circles but it was inevitable that some team would take a shot on a player who had 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns over three seasons at Texas and led the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season.
It just took a long time for a team to take that shot.
Ewers was selected in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins. That was a massive fall to the 231st overall pick for a productive college quarterback. There were 12 quarterbacks selected before Ewers in the NFL Draft.
Ewers dealt with injuries last season and through his college career, but on the plus side he played through plenty of those injuries last season. He had a torn oblique and an ankle injury last season.
Ewers had questions about his accuracy and physical tools in the lead-up to the NFL Draft, and was viewed in the lead-up to the draft as a day three prospect. He needed a team that put a high priority on college production to select him as a developmental project.
He'll start with the Dolphins, albeit after a long wait to hear his name called.
