Cardinals Take Miami QB Carson Beck To Open Third Round

The third quarterback comes off the board on Day 2 as the Cardinals have opened the third round by selecting Miami quarterback Carson Beck. Many believed Arizona would not be exiting the second day of the 2026 NFL Draft without a new passer, and the Hurricanes passer has emerged as the team’s preferred option.

Over six years at the collegiate level (five at Georgia, one at Miami), Beck’s story was a rollercoaster. After redshirting as a true freshman in 2020, Beck watched new division rival Stetson Bennett IV win two national championships for the Bulldogs before he finally got his opportunity to start in 2023. Beck showed a ton of promise in his first year running the offense, going 13-1 while completing 72.4 percent of his passes for 3,941 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only six interceptions.

After being identified as a top prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft, Beck’s production took a step back in his second year as a starter. His accuracy became an issue as his completion percentage dropped significantly and his interception total doubled. Adding insult to injury, his time in Athens came to an end when he suffered a UCL injury in an SEC Championship victory, requiring surgery on his throwing elbow. After briefly considering sticking with the plan to head to the NFL, Beck opted instead to transfer to Miami. Aided by one of the country’s top offensive lines, Beck showed improved efficiency as he led the Hurricanes to a College Football Playoff National Championship Game of his own.

Beck and the Hurricanes fell just short of the pinnacle of the sport; their chances of glory disappeared in the waning moments of the fourth quarter with a final untimely interception. That final pick meant Beck’s season total would reach 12 for the second year in a row, but in 2025, eight of his interceptions came in only three games, as he bunched all of his mistakes in a few games and showed better consistency in a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde act in Coral Gables. And though his collegiate legacy will be that of a passer who always seemed to come up just short, his 37-6 record as a starter is not easy to ignore.

Beck heads to Arizona where an intriguing situation awaits him. Veteran journeyman Jacoby Brissett is back for 2026 after starting 12 games as an injury replacement for Kyler Murray. Despite his status as a career bridge quarterback, linking one era of passer to another, Brissett has been adamantly pushing for a “starter-level extension” with the Cardinals. Unfortunately, general manager Monti Ossenfort declined to name a starter, wanting to wait and “see how the room looks in August.” Brissett has been staying away from voluntary team activities, as a result, and if he continues to hold out, Beck should see plenty of snaps early.

Brissett is clearly the likely starter for Arizona in 2026, but leaving the door open at all for Beck to gain some ground and chemistry next to fellow offensive rookie Jeremiyah Love could be a dangerous gamble. The Cardinals as taking a flyer in the hopes of striking oil here, but Beck, a humble, experienced leader, could easily continue to develop into a starter at the NFL level.