After three Canes went on night one (OT Francis Mauigoa (No. 10, Giants), DE Rueben Bain Jr. (No. 15, Buccaneers), EDGE Akheem Mesidor (No. 22, Chargers)), Miami continues to light up the draft boards with another player taken in the 2026 NFL Draft to kick off night two and this one is QB3 in the 2026 NFL Class. QB Carson Beck earned the distinction of QB3 after Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson as he was selected with the 65th overall pick in the third round of the draft on Friday/Saturday night by
the Arizona Cardinals.
Beck’s path to the NFL is one filled with ups and downs and one of the greatest bet on yourself stories for this year’s class. A four-star recruit out of Jacksonville’s Mandarin High School – where he won a state championship and was named Florida’s Mr. Football – Beck committed to Georgia and spent two years watching from the sideline as Stetson Bennett won back-to-back national championships. When his turn came in 2023, he delivered immediately: 3,941 passing yards, a 72.4% completion rate, 24 touchdowns, and a 63-3 demolition of Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
A turbulent 2024 – marred by a UCL tear that cost him the CFP, too many turnovers, and a narrative that spiraled out of his control – led him to the most important decision of his career: forgo the 2025 draft and transfer to Miami on a $3 million-plus NIL deal for one more shot at redemption. He took it. Beck threw for 3,813 yards, 30 touchdowns, and a 72.4% completion rate for the Hurricanes, leading them to the College Football Playoff National Championship. And while the championship outcome/final play was not one he wanted, his game-winning touchdown scamper against Ole Miss will live on Hurricanes lore.
His career record as a starter is 37-6. He has started games for two different programs in two different power conferences, both of which reached the CFP under his direction. Beck enters the NFL as a polished pocket passer with more big-game experience than nearly anyone in this draft class.
The Cardinals are an interesting and actually ideal landing spot for Beck, who parted Kyler Murray in free agency. Beck will have a chance to legitimately compete with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew for the starting position. Crazy.
Congrats, Carson, and keep it going with the Arizona Cardinals.
