Examining Carson Beck’s NFL Draft stock after epic College Football Playoff run

The 2025 college football season is officially behind us, which means it’s time to start looking ahead to the NFL Draft. Of course, a lot of the draft conversation each year starts with the quarterbacks, but the 2026 class leaves a lot to be desired at the game’s most important position.

Fernando Mendoza is the clear-cut No. 1 pick after a spectacular season at Indiana, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Hoosiers to a 16-0 season and a national championship. While Mendoza is set to be a Raider in a few months’ time, the rest of the quarterback class behind him leaves a lot to be desired.

In truth, many of the quarterbacks who were expected to be high draft picks coming into the season are either returning to college in 2026 or had disappointing years that hurt their draft stock.

Cade Klubnik, Garrett Nussmeier and Drew Allar all saw their seasons go awry, and none of them are expected to be first-round picks now. Dante Moore and Brendan Sorsby are both going back to school, leaving a thin class behind Mendoza that includes Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, provided he doesn’t get a waiver to go back to Oxford in 2026.

Miami’s Carson Beck was a hot name in the 2025 NFL Draft during the 2024 college football season while he was at Georgia, but a serious elbow injury in the SEC Championship Game that season derailed those hopes. After a strong close to his 2025 campaign at Miami, including a trip to the national championship game, what does Beck’s draft stock look like?

Pros of drafting Carson Beck

Beck is a veteran quarterback with more than 40 starts at the college level over the last three seasons, and he has seen some of the best defenses in the nation during that time. There is some credence to the fact that quarterbacks who have less starts tend to have less success at the NFL level, so Beck’s experience is a big asset.

The best thing that Beck does is throw the quick game accurately and on time. When Miami’s offense was at its best this season, it was when the running game was rolling and Beck was a distributor to his pass-catchers underneath. When he can catch and get the ball out of his hand quickly, he is able to attack all areas of the field, is a willing thrower over the middle and is adept at keeping the offense on schedule. He is also has prototypical size for an NFL quarterback, which teams will like in the evaluation process.

When the progression does get past that first read, Beck showed in the College Football Playoff that he at least has a baseline level of escapability and a toughness as a runner. He picked up multiple key conversions with his legs in Miami’s quarterfinal win over Ohio State and scored the game-winning touchdown on a scramble in the semifinals against Ole Miss.

Overall, coaches will feel pretty good about having Beck on the roster as a backup given his experience and ability to command an offense, which can make him a solid spot starter in the NFL.

What holds him back from being a first-rounder?

While some of those floor traits are what will get Beck drafted, the high-end traits that you need in order to be a first-round pick just aren’t there. Beck never had an elite arm, and his elbow injury late in 2024 pretty clearly hampered that arm strength even more.

As a result of that, Beck struggles to drive the ball on intermediate throws at times, and his deep ball touch is almost completely gone. Oftentimes this season, Beck’s long throws would be either way overthrown or severely underthrown, as he lacks the touch and arm talent to consistently deliver those passes accurately.

Beck’s anticipation on the quick game throws mentioned above is pretty good, but he lacks the necessary anticipation on intermediate throws over the middle at times to make up for what his arm has lost.

Beck also leaves a bit to be desired in the progression and decision-making department, especially for someone with as many starts as he has. He oftentimes locks in on his first read and doesn’t come off of it quick enough, which will be a huge problem when he is working in NFL pockets. While Beck took care of the football well over the back half of this season with Miami, he is still prone to making some sloppy decisions, such as the final interception in the national title game.

Overall grade

Beck has a draftable grade, especially in a class without a lot of depth at quarterback. However, given his limitations even with his experience and the obvious physical wall that his elbow injury brought on him, it’s hard to envision a world where he is a long-term NFL starter. Look for a team to scoop him up on day three to fill out their quarterback room.

Grade: C

Expected range: Round 5-6

The post Examining Carson Beck’s NFL Draft stock after epic College Football Playoff run appeared first on ClutchPoints.