Arch Manning on learning from Quinn Ewers to be Texas Longhorns QB
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning spoke about his relationship with Quinn Ewers and all the media craze he’s received since being at Texas.
Texas football quarterback Quinn Ewers knew he wasn’t going in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, but he anticipated hearing his name called sometime in the second. His agent Ron Slavin felt almost assured that he’d be picked before the final round.
However, Ewers’ impressive resume ― two College Football Playoff semifinal appearances and 31 touchdown passes in 2024, the third-most passing yards in Texas history ― led to the Miami Dolphins drafting him in the seventh round with the 231st overall selection. In a recently published story, ESPN’s Todd Archer documented Ewers’ journey, from the pre-draft workouts to the draft-weekend drop.
“I just didn’t know what was going on,” Ewers told ESPN two days after the draft, during a break from his workouts at MARR STRENGTH in Southlake. “But, I mean, it was nice [to get drafted], because at one point I’m like, ‘I’m not even going to get drafted. I’m going to go undrafted.’
His draft process began with recovery. Ewers played most of the 2024-25 season with a torn oblique, so he had been unable to train properly for months. After healing, the Southlake native got to work with Chad Marr, who designed a program that would add functional strength to Ewers’ frame without making him bulky, per ESPN.
Before the combine, Marr said the Longhorn was up to 214 pounds from 200 pounds. About 11 out of 14 of those pounds was muscle, and he predicted that Ewers could eventually reach 225 pounds.
He put his arm on display at the NFL combine, throwing the ball 22 times and showing no signs of the oblique injury that hampered him in college.
“He’s got a real quick stroke, real effortless. The ball comes out fast,” one NFC personnel director said in the story. “I think the game tape says he’s really good with the intermediate and short stuff, and that kind of showed with the velocity and accuracy. He can layer the ball. Doesn’t have the biggest arm, but it’s more than good enough for sure.”
There were concerns. Ewers has missed time to injury every year he’s started. His deep ball isn’t always pristine, as evidenced by a few wobbly throws witnessed at Texas’ pro day. Still, Slavin told ESPN he was stunned throughout the draft as teams continually opted for other quarterbacks.
First, Slavin said he thought his client would be in play for the New Orleans Saints or the Seattle Seahawks in rounds two and three. They selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, respectively. Nine more quarterback would be picked before the Dolphins ended Ewers’ fall.
Despite the disappointment and shocking drop, Ewers said he never once regretted his decision to opt for the NFL draft instead of transferring to another college.
“I wanted to continue on my career path, and I know I’m ready for the NFL,” Ewers said. “I think my game fits the NFL better than it does in college, honestly. I’m ready for the next step.”
In the end, the Texas signal caller who led his team back to its winning ways was the final quarterback taken in the 2025 draft class. According to Slavin, Ewers’ fall can primarily be attributed to the idea that teams thought he was “too big of a name to be a clipboard holder.”
The former No. 1 overall high school recruit according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Ewers is used to outside pressure. Even this past season, he had the most famous backup quarterback in the country, Arch Manning, breathing down his neck.
Now? There’s less pressure in his new role. That’s just fine for Ewers.
“I still have the high expectations for myself, but just from the outside looking in, this is the first time in my life to not have that much expectation. There’s definitely motivation and fuel. A lot of it,” Ewers said.
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