Carson Beck Draft Grade | Round 3, Pick 1 | FanVerdicts

D-

Bottom 12%Pick Grade

Pick Context

Market Value

Significant Reach

Position

QB · Premium Position

Decision Grade reflects market consensus at the moment of the pick. Teams often have private information the consensus does not.

Scouting Report

Big Board Rank: #118 · Day 3 Sleeper

Carson Beck's journey from Georgia transfer to Miami's starting quarterback represents one of the more intriguing developmental stories in the 2026 draft class. After backing up Stetson Bennett for two seasons in Athens, Beck transferred to Miami seeking a starting opportunity and has shown steady progression under Mario Cristobal's pro-style system. His arm strength and pocket presence are NFL-caliber, but inconsistent decision-making and struggles against elite competition have caused his draft stock to plateau in the mid-rounds. Beck possesses the physical tools and football IQ to develop into a competent backup with potential starter upside, though he'll need significant development time to refine his processing speed and ball placement accuracy.

Strengths

+Prototypical quarterback size at 6-4, 224 pounds with excellent pocket presence and natural feel for pass rush lanes, rarely taking unnecessary hits.

+Plus arm strength allows him to drive the ball into tight coverage windows and make all the intermediate throws with velocity and conviction.

+Shows impressive poise under pressure, stepping up in the pocket effectively and maintaining throwing mechanics even when pass rush collapses around him.

+Demonstrates good pre-snap recognition skills, identifying blitzes and hot routes while making appropriate protection adjustments at the line of scrimmage.

+Accurate ball placement on timing routes, particularly slants, hitches, and comeback patterns where he consistently puts the ball in position for yards after catch.

+Mobile enough to extend plays with his legs, showing adequate scrambling ability to buy time for receivers to come open downfield.

+Strong leadership qualities evident in his command of the huddle and ability to rally teammates during adverse game situations.

+Film study habits and football IQ are excellent, often seen making correct reads against complex defensive coverages and identifying leverage advantages.

+Red zone efficiency is solid, showing good touch on back-shoulder fades and ability to fit balls into tight windows near the goal line.

+Competitive drive and clutch gene are apparent, with several fourth-quarter comeback victories highlighting his mental toughness and composure.

+Mechanics are fundamentally sound with a quick, compact release and good footwork in his drops, rarely sailing balls due to poor base.

Shows ability to work through progressions methodically, though processing speed needs improvement to handle NFL-level defensive complexity.

Weaknesses

-Decision-making becomes erratic against elite competition, with forced throws into coverage resulting in costly interceptions at crucial moments.

-Deep ball accuracy is inconsistent, often overthrowing or underthrowing receivers on vertical routes, limiting big-play potential in the passing game.

-Processing speed needs significant improvement as he tends to hold the ball too long when his first read isn't available, leading to coverage sacks.

-Struggles reading disguised coverages, particularly against teams that show multiple looks pre-snap and rotate to different alignments after the snap.

-Pocket mobility is adequate but not dynamic, lacking the burst to consistently escape edge rushers or create significant scrambling opportunities.

-Ball security issues have plagued him throughout his career, with fumbles on sacks and poor ball handling in the red zone being recurring problems.

-Touch on intermediate passes needs refinement, as he often puts too much velocity on routes that require finesse and placement over power.

-Tends to lock onto primary targets in high-pressure situations rather than working through his full progression, making him predictable to defensive coordinators.

NFL Comparison: Derek Carr

Fan voting will be available once grades are published.

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