When legends recommend ambitious talent, you should listen. Peyton Manning has now given his verdict.

Peyton Manning knows what he’s talking about. He’s a quarterback legend. And when he explicitly praises playmakers after the Manning Camp, it’s an early accolade for the young players.

On the “Pat McAfee Show,” he named a few young quarterbacks. Unsurprisingly, his nephew Arch Manning was at the top of the list.

“I’m excited to see Arch play,” Manning said. “He threw the ball really well at camp. Arch threw a pass that I would have needed a cutoff man to get to the receiver.”

That’s self-deprecating, but above all, it’s a vivid compliment to Arch’s arm strength. “Cutoff man” is a term used in baseball. It refers to a player who catches a long ball and efficiently throws it on to another player.

In other words, he himself would have needed someone like that to get as far as his nephew.

Manning: “They make throws I couldn’t even think of.”

But Garrett Nussmeier and LaNorris Sellers also praised Manning explicitly. “They really delivered in our three throwing sessions – all the quarterbacks threw well. It’s impressive. They make throws I couldn’t even think of.”

However, the three mentioned are no surprise, as they are among the bookmakers’ favorites when it comes to betting odds for the number one pick in the 2026 draft.

Arch Manning is currently considered the favorite, followed by Penn State’s Drew Allar, then Nussmeier and Sellers.