The Arizona Cardinals made one of the most debated picks of the night on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft. With the first selection of the third round at No. 65, Arizona took Miami quarterback Carson Beck, making him the third signal-caller off the board.
What made it stand out even more was the gap. No quarterback had been selected since Ty Simpson went No. 13 overall to the Los Angeles Rams, and yet Beck was the one who got the call over other available names. And many have the same, raging question: Was he really a third-rounder to begin with?
NFL Analysts Question Carson Beck’s 3rd-Rounder Legitimacy
Live on PFSN’s “Football Debate Club” during Day 2 coverage, the reaction was immediate as analyst Jacob Infante proceeded with the brutal realization.
He said, “I don’t like that. I don’t like that at all. Sure, he looked okay. He looked better at Miami than he did in his final year at Georgia. He was able to do some things in the national championship game. There was improvement in terms of downfield consistency and things like that.”
Infante was left asking more questions than finding any answers. He continued: “I just wonder, where’s the upside here? It’s an older guy. He is what he is, and what he was in college was a capable game manager, and that’s about it. If you’re projecting him as a second-round pick, I want someone who’s going to have some kind of tools to develop and work with.
“Beck has a very average arm. He’s a stationary passer. He’s not going to be the type of guy who creates very well or picks up yards with his legs.”
Infante doubled down when comparing the situation to other quarterback decisions around the league.
“I don’t know. We’ve talked about it over the last few weeks and months, but I likened the Cardinals’ situation to the Giants’ last year, where they had Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, experienced backups, but still needed a long-term guy, and then they took Jaxson Dart.
“I saw similarities with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, but I was thinking about that for Ty Simpson, not for Carson Beck in the second round, which, in my opinion, is pretty steep. You mentioned it too, over the last two years, 24 interceptions. He’s a game manager, but at the same time, he’s still prone to these mental lapses and staring down targets a little bit too much for a guy who’s had as many reps and opportunities as he’s had.”
Even when offering a slight concession, the tone didn’t change much. “I’m higher on it than the undrafted grade that Ian gave him. I think he can be a solid backup. [But] I’m not taking that in the second round. I need him to know his place when he gets a solid backup.”
That “undrafted grade” came from Ian Cummings, and he was even more direct in his evaluation.
“Georgia 2024, there were 23 interceptions coming off that year. There was some early-round upside, but he’s not a mobile passer. He’s not a creator at his size. After the UCL surgery, too, I feel like people gloss over that. His arm was not the same. He was not generating the same velocity as in 2023.
“So, I don’t see the upside here if he’s not a creator and if he doesn’t have a good arm anymore. This is a Cardinals team that could have still drafted a tackle. Caleb Tiernan was there. I would have liked that pick a lot. They could have drafted a nose tackle like Domonique Orange or Darrell Jackson Jr. to complement Walter Nolen. They had other options.
“Instead, they’re taking a limited quarterback with capital that you can use to draft a starter. I don’t get it at all. I wonder if it’s trying to save the regime by picking a quarterback, potentially, but this is not the QB I would hitch my wagon to. Personally, it is a bit shocking.”
The pushback centers on the ceiling. Beck’s profile has always leaned toward stability over explosiveness. Across 55 college games, he threw for 11,725 yards and 88 touchdowns with 32 interceptions, completing 69.5 percent of his passes.
In 2025, he threw 30 touchdown passes and led Miami to the national title game. According to PFSN’s CFB QB Impact metric, Beck recorded an 83.3 impact score, ranking No. 36 overall last season.
Solid production, but not elite relative to his peers like Drew Allar and Garrett Nussmeier. So, Arizona is betting on experience (games under center) and a quarterback who can operate within structure. Critics see a capped ceiling, fewer physical tools, and a missed opportunity to address premium positions.
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If this is any consolation, then the 6’5″ passer has proven to be a steady game manager who can maximize a lot from his surroundings. So, maybe Beck benefits from that; it’ll be interesting to see.
With Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew already in the room, Beck won’t be forced into action immediately. But the expectations will be there.
