I think most people would agree that the QB class of this year is lacking the punch that some of the more recent years have given us. There have been some really good college QBs this past 2024 season with Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward and Quinn Ewers. But where do we see these guys careers after CFB? This year’s talent is just not as strong as the last few years.
Without saying Sanders or Ward, who are the franchise guys at QB? And both of those guys have some questions as well, Sanders can hold the ball too long and Ward has had some ball security issues.
But regardless, both of those guys will absolutely be the starting QB for the teams that draft them, but after those guys, the rest are up in the air.
Jalen Milroe?
Quinn Ewers?
The QB I’m most intrigued with is Carson Beck as the 10StarPick. This is a player who was commonly touted as “the guy” and looked at as the best college football QB in 2023. Is he a guy that you can see becoming a franchise QB in the NFL? In 2023 Beck threw for 24 TDs, 6 picks, completed 72% of his passes, and conference leading 3,941 yds. In 2024 Beck put up 28 TDs, 12 picks, 3,485 yds on 64% passing. This year looks to have shown how much TE Brock Bowers and WR Ladd McConkey really meant to him last year. Bowers gave Beck a lethal weapon and McConkey was the explosive player. And Georgia didn’t replace those high caliber players, which ultimately hurt the 6-4 QB and the program. Beck is a standard pocket passer, which is fine, pocket passing is still king when the chips are down. This doesn’t mean the ability to run or scramble out of trouble isn’t a great ability, but being able to throw the rock is still the most effective way to move the ball on the field. But his lack of mobility is concerning in this day and age.
To me, it’s very interesting to see what happens with him. The fact that some scouts had him ranked as high as the 4th best college QB in the country this year and other scouts having him going in the 2nd or 3rd round. It’s as if nobody can fully agree on him.
Beck started the season as the potential top QB in CFB, but has plummeted. It appears as if he might not be a 1st rounder anymore, and where does that land him if he doesn’t stay in the 1st? The talent around him may have masked some of his problems. His bad interceptions are certainly the reason for a lot of questioning.
Former Georgia QB Jake Fromm was a guy that had 78 passing TDs in 3 seasons and a 7.9% TD rate but never succeeded at the next level in the NFL. Jake was a really good college QB who had good success against good competition and had a nice ability to loft in touch passes, in my opinion, was a better college QB than Beck. But Fromm was never able to bring his game up to the pros, if he didn’t work out in the NFL – it’s hard to imagine Beck will.
I’m just not sold on Beck as a potential franchise changing QB. Beck obviously has a connection with Bowers – so If the Raiders ended up picking him around the 7-10 range, it wouldn’t completely shock me. And truly, he might be slightly better than any QB on their roster currently. That’s not saying a whole lot.
If Beck ended up going in the 4th round, it could end up being better for his career. He would possibly go to a good team and could develop in the right place. I don’t see him being that guy taking over a franchise and leading them for the next 12 years.
With his recent injury issues, I question if Beck might have that “I want to cash in now” mindset. Personally, I think his best bet would’ve been healing up and staying another year, and trying to blow it up next season, and be “that guy.”