Arizona drafts Carson Beck at 65 after missing out on Ty Simpson in Round 1

Over the course of two days of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals’ search for a quarterback took an unexpected turn. After being linked to Alabama’s Ty Simpson in the first round, Arizona lost him to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 13, which shocked the draft world. On Day 2, Arizona regrouped and found their answer by picking Miami’s Carson Beck with the 65th overall pick to start the third round.

Carson Beck to the Cardinals. Will he be their next franchise QB?

His CFP Semifinal performance against Ole Miss:pic.twitter.com/FP0mPXGnzP

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) April 25, 2026

Beck was the third quarterback chosen in the draft, which makes people wonder what Arizona’s plans are for the position going into the 2026 season. Beck is from Jacksonville, Florida, and has a lot of college experience. He played in college for six years, five of them at Georgia and one at Miami, where he led the Hurricanes back to the national championship game for the first time in 24 years.

He had great numbers with Miami: 3,813 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a completion percentage of 72.4%. He was named MVP of the Fiesta Bowl playoff semifinal against Ole Miss and was named to the third team All-ACC. Since 2019, only two Power 4 quarterbacks have won more games as a starter than Beck: Dillon Gabriel of Oregon (46) and Bo Nix of Alabama (43). This shows that Beck has a history of winning at multiple programs.

It wasn’t easy to get to the NFL. Beck withdrew from the 2025 draft and moved to Miami after a tough 2024 season at Georgia that was full of turnovers and ended with an elbow injury. The bounce-back year showed that he could change the story of his career, but worries about his decision-making and arm health will follow him into the pros.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic put Beck at number 145 on his list of the top 300 draft picks. He thinks Beck could be an NFL backup who could start if he keeps improving. Beck will have time to learn the system in Arizona and show that the Cardinals made the right choice, even though their first choice left the board in Round 1 with a Rams hat on.

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