Carson Beck's Future Questioned by CFB Coach After Cardinals Pick QB in 2026 NFL Draft

One college defensive coordinator doesn't see a lot of untapped potential in Arizona Cardinals draft pick Carson Beck at the next level.

"He's been in enough good places," the coach told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "I think what you see is what you get. I think he'll be solid. I don't think he'll be special. Whether it's poise or accuracy at key moments, he just seems to have too many misses. But he's a good, solid player."

That's basically the book on Beck during his three years as a starter at Georgia and Miami. Across that span, he averaged 261.4 passing yards per game with 82 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in 43 appearances.

Beck was a consensus 4-star recruit coming out of high school and looked pretty good while succeeding Stetson Bennett as Georgia's starter in 2023. The expectation was that he'd keep growing from there.

That improvement never materialized, though. In particular, the 6'4" signal-caller maintained his habit of forcing some bad throws. His college career ended with him heaving the ball into double coverage to seal Indiana's win in the national championship.

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The Cardinals made Beck the third quarterback off the board when the took him with the first pick of the third round. Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski gave Arizona a C-plus grade for the choice, writing the team was "almost forced into this pick" when the Los Angeles Rams reached for Alabama's Ty Simpson in Round 1.

As much as the Cardinals needed a QB, targeting Beck specifically risks exacerbating their current situation.

Coach Mike LaFleur is heading into the 2026 season with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II as his top two options under center. Both are career backups with a limited ceiling as a starter, and that sounds a lot like where Beck could wind up in the NFL.

Perhaps LaFleur, who specialized on the offensive side before getting his first crack as a head coach, saw something others didn't in the former Hurricanes star.