Mel Kiper Jr. has wild advice for Quinn Ewers

Apr 28, 2011; New York, NY, USA; ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr during the 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Mel Kiper Jr. has some wild advice for Quinn Ewers.

Ewers has been Texas’ starting quarterback this season and has the Longhorns firmly in the College Football Playoff as the No. 5 seed. The redshirt junior has completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 2,665 yards with 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. In three seasons with Texas, Ewers has passed for 8,321 yards and 62 touchdowns.

There was a time when Ewers was expected to be a No. 1 draft pick. There was a time when Ewers was not expected to stay in college more than he needed to. But things have changed.

Ewers has arguably regressed since last season, and he might not be viewed by NFL teams as better than a second or third-round pick. Kiper believes that if Ewers does not get a favorable draft grade from the NFL, the quarterback should consider staying in school for his senior season. In that scenario, Kiper would advise Ewers to transfer because he believes Arch Manning would be the Longhorns’ starter.

“Arch Manning is going to be the quarterback at Texas next year. So if you want to play college football, you probably have to move on somewhere. I would do that if I’m Quinn Ewers,” Kiper said on the “First Draft” podcast with Mike Greenberg and Field Yates. “I would not come out unless I really played phenomenal football in these playoff games and came into this draft process with tremendous momentum. I don’t want to become a second or third-round pick.”

Could you imagine a player as highly regarded and accomplished as Ewers actually transferring? Maybe one player could see that happening. But a lot may depend on how he performs in the playoffs.

Texas will host Clemson on Saturday. If Ewers shines throughout the Playoff, he could position himself to be drafted higher than how it looks now, which could resolve the matter. The transfer portal would go nuts if Ewers were to enter it, and he’d probably have to do so in the spring.