‘NFL Is a Nepo Baby System’ — Ex-Chargers DT Raises Serious Concerns Over Arch Manning’s NFL Draft Stock

Texas quarterback Arch Manning entered the 2026 season with plenty of hype as a potential top pick in next year's NFL Draft. However, his inconsistent performances have raised questions about his draft stock.

A former Chargers DT even took to X to voice his disappointment, delivering some harsh criticism of the 22-year-old's performance.

Breiden Fehoko Raises Red Flags Over Arch Manning's NFL Draft Stock

Breiden Fehoko believes Arch Manning being selected anywhere in the first five rounds of the NFL Draft would be evidence of a "nepo baby system."

"I say this with seriousness. If Arch Manning gets drafted anywhere in the first 5 rounds the NFL is a nepo baby system. Arch Manning is a bad football player can we start being real?" Fehoko wrote.

Fehoko's post came after Texas' 27-24 loss to Florida on Oct. 17, when Manning completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Through six games this season, Manning has completed 106 of 166 passes (63.9%) for 1,295 yards, throwing 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.

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Manning entered the season as one of the leading candidates to be the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. However, his performances so far have done little to strengthen his case, with some analysts even suggesting that another year in college could benefit him.

Manning struggled a lot in Texas' 27-24 loss to unranked Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns, but two late interceptions proved costly. One was returned for a pick-six, while the other put the Sooners in position to kick the game-winning field goal.

His performance drew some harsh criticism from Jason Kirk of The Athletic as well, who went as far as calling Manning "college football's most average QB" in his 'Until Saturday' newsletter.

At the time, Kirk backed up his take with the numbers, citing Manning's passer rating as 143.31 compared with his calculated FBS average of 142.25 across 138 teams.

"'Joe Smith' fits Manning because, despite how frequently it has felt like he is the most promising or overrated or over-hated QB ever, he really just plays like a 'Joe Smith,'" Kirk wrote.

He was referring to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, who came to Manning's defense by suggesting that people might view the quarterback's performances differently if he were an ordinary player named "Joe Smith" playing for Texas.

Meanwhile, quarterbacks like Darian Mensah, Trinidad Chambliss, and Drew Mestemaker have been putting together strong performances. That makes it increasingly difficult for Manning to separate himself from the competition for the top spot.