{"id":279926,"date":"2025-10-05T17:02:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T17:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/279926\/"},"modified":"2025-10-05T17:02:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T17:02:11","slug":"arch-manning-isnt-ready-for-the-nfl-miamis-prospects-impress-more-week-6-reactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/279926\/","title":{"rendered":"Arch Manning isn\u2019t ready for the NFL, Miami\u2019s prospects impress, more Week 6 reactions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first weekend of October still feels early in the college football season, but NFL Draft<\/a> hopefuls are quickly running out of chances to impress scouts and GMs.<\/p>\n

What\u2019d we learn about a few high-profile prospects \u2014 and some potential sleepers \u2014 during Week 6? Our draft experts, Dane Brugler and Nick Baumgardner, take a look.<\/p>\n

1. Texas now has two losses<\/a>, and Arch Manning is still struggling. How close are we to turning the page and talking about Manning as a 2027 draft prospect?<\/p>\n

Dane Brugler<\/strong>: Consider the page turned. Manning isn\u2019t a 2026 NFL Draft prospect. He is a 2027 \u2014 or 2028 \u2014 prospect.<\/p>\n

Manning showed signs of progress in Saturday\u2019s loss to Florida. His third-quarter touchdown toss<\/a> was a great example of his ability to shuffle away from pressure with his eyes elevated to hit his receiver in stride. The way he kept plays alive with his legs helped Texas stay in the game until the final seconds, but the positive moments are still too sporadic.<\/p>\n

The offensive line had trouble blocking Florida\u2019s four-man rush, and the run game offered very little relief. Manning was often tardy with his decisions, and when he did find his read, he often rushed his process and fired an inaccurate pass. When your quarterback isn\u2019t anticipating or seeing the field on time and the pass protection falls apart prematurely, the result is what you\u2019re seeing from the Texas offense.<\/p>\n

As with any college quarterback with single-digit career starts and an inconsistent supporting cast, any reaction to Manning\u2019s play shouldn\u2019t be an obituary. Development is guaranteed, but it is clear that Manning isn\u2019t ready to be seriously talked about as a 2026 NFL Draft prospect.<\/p>\n

Nick Baumgardner:<\/strong> In reality, I think we\u2019ve been there since before the season started. Had Manning played better to this point, that math might\u2019ve changed. But he\u2019s simply not ready.<\/p>\n

The talent is obvious \u2014 no one was wrong about that. It remains obvious even now, and Manning showed some real grit during the trip to The Swamp. Florida was charged up, Texas\u2019 offensive line was a mess and Manning took shot after shot, but he kept getting up and made a few really nice throws.<\/p>\n

The problem? That\u2019s kind of what every game \u2014 even those against lower-level opponents \u2014 has been. There hasn\u2019t been any consistency from Manning, and the rough stretches are legitimately bad. He can go from looking completely overwhelmed on one series to ripping a shot into a super-tight window the next, but he\u2019s getting stuck on his first read way too often, and some of the hits he\u2019s taking are his own fault. I think he\u2019ll grow from Saturday\u2019s performance. But he\u2019s still a long way from being ready for the next level.<\/p>\n

2. Rueben Bain Jr. was the No. 1 pick in our most recent mock<\/a>, and Francis Mauigoa checked in at No. 11. Is Miami going to land two prospects in the top 10 \u2014 or even top five \u2014 come April?<\/p>\n

Brugler: <\/strong>Bain has played like the best defensive player in the 2026 NFL Draft, and that continued against Florida State<\/a>. His ability to win with bend around the corner or by overwhelming blockers with power makes him a chore to block. And NFL teams will love that he plays with the same energy (if not more) in the fourth quarter as in the first.<\/p>\n

But I think Mauigoa deserves just as much attention for his play on the offensive line. He has the build of a guard and might be maximized with a move inside, but his tape says he can stay at tackle. He is very smooth in his pass slide to mirror rushers around the arc, his play strength is evident once he locks on, and his range as a puller shows up in the run\/screen game.<\/p>\n

Over the summer, we talked a lot about the promise of the 2026 offensive tackle class. Most of the prospects in that group have been inconsistent \u2014 but not Mauigoa, who has been steadily dominant in every game. I don\u2019t know if both Bain and Mauigoa will end up in the top five, but they\u2019ll be viewed as high-floor NFL prospects with plenty of upside \u2014 and those types of players go very high.<\/p>\n

Baumgardner<\/strong>: Bain has been the best version of himself this year, and it\u2019s been downright dominant. He can move around, he\u2019s a terror against the run, and he can beat offensive linemen several different ways. When he\u2019s healthy and engaged, he\u2019s the biggest front-seven creator of havoc in the country, and it\u2019s probably not very close. If we see this type of play from him the rest of the way, he\u2019ll be a top-three lock.<\/p>\n

It feels like Mauigoa\u2019s been at Miami forever, but it\u2019s important to note he\u2019s gotten better every year, including this one. He\u2019s coached by Alex Mirabal (one of my favorite college O-line teachers), and he\u2019s very difficult to get depth against on the edge because of his hand speed and athleticism. I have gripes about him when he plays tall, but he takes a ton of pride in the run game \u2014 and it shows.<\/p>\n

Miami has turned its program around because it spends as much money as anyone in America. But Mauigoa has been a critical piece of resetting the physical standard for the program, and NFL scouts absolutely know that.<\/p>\n

3. Jam Miller and Germie Bernard had big days for Alabama, Keon Sabb made a key pick, Ty Simpson spun it pretty well. Assuming Kadyn Proctor is still the Tide\u2019s top 2026 draft prospect, who else are you buying on that roster?<\/p>\n

Brugler<\/strong>: Simpson isn\u2019t being talked about enough. A week after a stellar performance at Georgia, he was nails against Vanderbilt<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What stands out most with Simpson is his ability to play on time. He is very rhythmic in his drops, processing and release, and you can tell he knows what he\u2019s seeing pre-snap by the way he attacks post-snap. Simpson isn\u2019t an elite physical talent, but he is big enough, mobile enough and his arm is strong enough. But again, his mental process jumps off the screen, which is even more impressive considering Saturday\u2019s win was just his fifth career start.<\/p>\n

The sample is still much too small to make any definitive statements about his pro projection, but if Simpson stays on his current trajectory, an NFL team will be more than happy to draft him in the first round. It helps that Alabama has arguably the best wide receiver depth chart outside of Ohio State\u2019s and that its offensive line is playing well. But Simpson\u2019s consistent process and execution separate him from other quarterback prospects.<\/p>\n

Baumgardner<\/strong>: Bernard has been very good this season \u2014 that\u2019s four straight weeks with a touchdown, and he has 25 catches already.<\/p>\n

We can also point to Alabama center Parker Brailsford as a big factor for Simpson\u2019s great start, especially from a protection standpoint. Brailsford is undersized, but he\u2019s very smart and very quick. He was a young starter for Kalen DeBoer at Washington and has been solid through two years in the SEC.<\/p>\n

Defensively, junior edge Yhonzae Pierre (6-foot-3, 248 pounds) has been very active so far. He was a five-star prospect who weighed around 220 pounds in high school but added power to a frame that\u2019s long with natural bend. He\u2019s a very intriguing player.<\/p>\n

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THE INFECTION!!!\ud83e\udda0@oti_germie<\/a> <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa: ABC pic.twitter.com\/9L2DdPfgGh<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) October 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

4. We\u2019ve talked a lot about Notre Dame\u2019s Jeremiyah Love, but not so much about the running backs ranked behind him. How do you view Michigan\u2019s Justice Haynes \u2014 who\u2019s on pace for about 1,300 yards rushing this season \u2014 in the 2026 class?<\/p>\n

Brugler<\/strong>: The RB2 spot has been wide open since the summer, and it remains that way. But Haynes has emerged as a strong contender to be the second-ranked back in this class.<\/p>\n

He really shines with his vision, tempo and contact balance at the line of scrimmage, all of which allow him to maximize the blocking in front of him. I have some questions about his ability to create against NFL speed with his short-area burst, but he consistently gets what is blocked for him, plus a little more. Haynes\u2019 reliability (he doesn\u2019t fumble) and passing-down skills (both blocking and pass catching) could be differentiating factors for him.<\/p>\n

Love ultimately might be the only running back drafted in the top 50, but Haynes has the goods to be a quality NFL back and a Day 2 pick.<\/p>\n

Baumgardner<\/strong>: Haynes has been faster than I thought he\u2019d be this season, and he\u2019s really shown off some terrific vision \u2014 especially on gap concepts. He\u2019s popped a few really long runs, in part because they were blocked well and schemed up at the right time, but he\u2019s rarely missed a cut and has shown great contact balance.<\/p>\n

Michigan has had a gaggle of special running backs over the last century-plus. The only one to rush for 100 yards or more in his first five games with the team? Haynes. He\u2019s definitely in the top-five running back discussion and might have an argument as a top-100 pick, too.<\/p>\n

5. On a wild day in college football, which other prospects stood out for you?<\/p>\n

Brugler:<\/strong> I\u2019ve been talking up Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday all season, but it was Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby and running back Evan Pryor who shone in an upset of Iowa State<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sorsby has the arm talent to throw lasers to every level of the field, and he did that with three completions of 25-plus yards against Iowa State, including an 82-yard deep shot to Caleb Goodie that proved to be the game-winning touchdown. His passes will spray at times, and his decision-making needs to improve, but the redshirt junior is a future draft pick. Several SEC programs tried to lure him away this offseason, but he earned substantial NIL money to stay at Cincinnati \u2014 and he showed why Saturday.<\/p>\n

Pryor, an Ohio State transfer, averaged a cool 11.1 yards per carry with a pair of touchdowns against the Cyclones. At just 200 pounds, he has a slender, tapered frame and won\u2019t push the pile. But he hits the hole with speed to gash the defense. Pryor grades as a priority free agent prospect right now, but a few more games like Saturday\u2019s and NFL teams will keep an open mind on his evaluation.<\/p>\n

One more: Louisville wasn\u2019t able to pull out a victory over Virginia, but I wanted to bring up wide receiver Chris Bell, who had another big-time performance (12 catches for 170 yards and two touchdowns). At 6-2, 227 with 4.4 speed, Bell keeps putting more and more positive reps on tape, especially when he uses his big frame to win at the catch point. He debuted at No. 25 (second-round grade) on my preseason top 50<\/a> \u2014 which turned some heads \u2014 but he\u2019s playing up to his immense potential the last few weeks.<\/p>\n

Baumgardner:<\/strong> The best slot back in America is Navy\u2019s Eli Heidenreich. A running back\/wide receiver hybrid, Heidenreich (5-11, 205) is a very explosive athlete with terrific ball skills and route nuance. He set a Navy record with 243 receiving yards on eight catches Saturday, including three touchdowns, in a win over Air Force. He is now Navy\u2019s career leader in receiving TDs with 14 and has more than 1,400 career receiving yards with another 890 on the ground.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s obviously a very niche prospect who\u2019d have a limited role in an NFL offense, but his uniqueness as a running back who can run routes like a true receiver will be very interesting for teams to scout.<\/p>\n

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How cool is this: after scoring for Navy, Eli Heidenreich leaped into the stands to his dad. pic.twitter.com\/CnhH87Ky4v<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 CBS Sports College Football \ud83c\udfc8 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Another running back known for something other than running the ball: Michigan fullback Max Bredeson. I\u2019m not sure we\u2019d find three tight ends nationally who are better one-on-one blockers in space than Bredeson, the younger brother of former Michigan and current Bucs guard Ben Bredeson. A team captain, Max Bredeson is also an outstanding leader who has helped set a physical standard at Michigan since the Jim Harbaugh days.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a possible priority free agent, and his lack of a presence as a receiver or on special teams could keep it that way, but I think someone \u2014 one of the Harbaughs, or a coach in the Shanahan tree \u2014 might spend a draft pick on him.<\/p>\n

(Top photo: Matt Pendleton \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n