Paul Finebaum Says Arch Manning Is Falling Out of the First Round

“We thought when the season began, he would be the number one pick in the draft. Right now he is falling out of the first round about as fast as he can,” Paul Finebaum said on The Stephen A. Smith Show on SiriusXM.

Finebaum pointed to Manning’s family name, compensation and possible return to Texas as reasons the university faces a difficult decision.

“He’s also paid about five and a half million dollars a year,” Finebaum said. “And the feeling is he’ll come back to school. So you don’t want to blow that up and maybe have him go somewhere else.”

In our view, Finebaum completely absolved Manning of his inconsistent play and threw his coach under the bus.

“At some point, I think he could develop into a really good player. But I think the problem so far has been Steve Sarkisian,” Finebaum said.

That is hardly surprising given the media protection Peyton and Eli Manning enjoyed throughout their careers. Arch is getting the same treatment: the quarterback keeps the benefit of the doubt while the coach takes the blame.

Whether Arch turns out to be good will not stop the NFL’s power brokers from trying to force him into the limelight.