NFL Insider believes the Los Angeles Rams are positioning themselves for a chance at Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, the nephew of Eli Manning and Peyton Manning, in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Arch Manning to the LA Rams in the 2026 NFL Draft?
The LA Rams are already the talk of the 2026 NFL Draft with the moves they made in the 2025 NFL Draft. During the first round of the NFL Draft, the Rams and the Atlanta Falcons facilitated a trade that allowed the Falcons to jump from pick 46 in the second round, to the Rams pick 26 in the first round. Part of the draft capital sent to jump up 20 spots cost the Falcons a future 2026 first-round pick, leaving the Rams with two 2026 first-round picks in next year’s draft. The Falcons selected James Pearce Jr. and now the Rams have intrigue league-wide about who the team could be planning to target a year from now.
With current Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford maybe having a year or two left in the NFL, the trade immediately raised eyebrows across the league with what the Rams might plan to do with the extra capital in 2026. NFL Insider Diana Russini says that NFL personnel people league-wide believe the Rams made the trade with their eye on star University of Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, who will be draft eligible in 2026.
“I had a bunch of football people text me after that Rams trade, and they were like Arch Arch Arch! That’s who Les (Snead) is after,” Russini said on the Scoop City Podcast. “So much can happen between now and then, as we know.”
Manning will be the talk of college football next season. Manning, the number one recruit in the 2023 high school class, will be the full-time starter for Texas after sitting behind recent NFL draftee Quinn Ewers for two seasons. Manning has played sparingly for Texas having started two games, but has shown high-level flashes of a quarterback teams think could be the number-one overall pick. It is not exactly clear if Manning will decide to declare for the draft after the season as he could choose to opt to stay at Texas; however, Manning will undoubtedly be one of the most high-profile prospects in the 2026 draft should he leave.
Rams Wheel and Deal First-Round Picks
While everyone in the NFL knows that the Rams will be looking for Stafford’s successor sooner than later, Sean McVay and Rams General Manager Les Snead had a little joke about what they are planning with the extra first-round pick. When posed with the question that they’ll have two first-round picks in the 2026 draft, both Snead and McVay joked back with the media that they have two “for now.”
The Rams are known for their wheeling and dealing of first-round picks, so much so that they’ve only selected in the first round once in their eight-year tenure together. They used multiple first-round picks to acquire Stafford and in the past have used first-round picks to acquire proven talent around the league. Could the Rams package their picks to trade for a veteran quarterback who might become available? They could, but it’s most likely the Rams will be selecting their future quarterback through the draft.
McVay is widely known as one of the best coaches in the NFL, and the Manning family would be ecstatic if Arch declared, knowing the Rams will be equipped with a chance to get him. Could the Rams have their eye strictly who Manning? NFL personnel seem to think so.
Rams GM Les Snead talking with Arch Manning at Texas Pro Day. pic.twitter.com/pdoZogK4y8
— Alex Dunlap (@AlexDunlapNFL) March 25, 2025
Manning Family Legacy
Both Eli and Peyton were number one overall picks in their respective drafts. Arch’s grandfather, Archie Manning, was the number two overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. The Manning family name is football royalty, and Arch will have his claim as the number one pick.
Main Image: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
