Veteran evaluator credits Texas and Arch Manning for building Quinn Ewers' mental toughness heading into 2025 NFL Draft
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers wasn't able to capture the magic needed to rise into becoming a superstar 2025 NFL Draft prospect despite his Longhorns making it far into the College Football Playoffs. His injury woes returned, and the pressure around the program to get Arch Manning on the field more didn't help Steve Sarkisian and […]
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers wasn't able to capture the magic needed to rise into becoming a superstar 2025 NFL Draft prospect despite his Longhorns making it far into the College Football Playoffs. His injury woes returned, and the pressure around the program to get Arch Manning on the field more didn't help Steve Sarkisian and Ewers succeed.
Ewers was successful at Texas, elevating the program back to relevance as a National Championship contender. His transfer to Texas was a hit for both the program and Ewers, even if he's projecting closer to being a Day 3 pick than a Round 1 star.
Veteran NFL evaluator Emory Hunt is always one of the most measured voices in the room, and the creator of Football Gameplan and CBS Sports host delved into how the pressure of Manning's presence will benefit Ewers in the future.
"Quinn Ewers has to be mentally tough because of who was behind him at Texas. To be able to play through that when everyone in the program wants to see the guy behind you, and to play successfully, I think that's commendable. It shows he can handle what can come in the NFL."
Hunt then expanded on Ewers' physical skill set and why there are some red flags that will be tougher to overcome.
"The arm strength isn't as good, especially going deeper down the field. Caveat, this year might have been because of the oblique injury so he couldn't really step in and drive the ball. But we noticed the ball going deep down the field tends to hang in the air. Despite him being athletic, he doesn't utilize it to evade pressure."
Hunt continued on throughout his stint on the Ross Tucker Podcast, but this was a good summarizing clip of his discussion about Ewers' 2025 NFL Draft outlook.
There was certainly noise about Manning playing more and whether Texas would benefit from having the dual-threat on the field instead of Ewers. Manning played well as a reserve and spot starter, but Sarkisian also deserves credit for going back to Ewers and keeping his word.
It may have cost him a National Championship, though, as the Ohio State Buckeyes attacked Ewers' weaknesses and eventually forced turnovers to win the game.
We project Ewers to land late Day 2 to early Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
