Analyst Predicts Carson Beck’s NFL Draft Fate With Mario Cristobal and Miami

Within 2 months, we’ll be seeing Carson Beck take his first snap as the starting QB for Miami. He isn’t just looking to improve his stocks for the NFL draft. This time, Carson Beck is fired up to redeem himself and silence his critics, hopefully getting his due appreciation back. The odds are slowly growing for the Carson Beck 2.0 version to do exactly that. And, this newfound zeal and hope is clearing a path for him to have a good draft as well, per a national analyst.

Carson Beck was part of the group of QBs who did not have a great 2024. After his 2023 performance stunned experts and fans, nobody expected the next season to be such a blemish on his career. His interceptions doubled in half, and he struggled in a wide array of arenas. But Georgia’s failure was not all on Beck’s fault. After a tough season, Carson Beck was rattled enough to consider leaving a program like Georgia. He came to Miami without regaining his full health. That, paired with his nightmarish 2024 season, sent Miami fans into some worry.

After all, Beck was replacing Cam Ward, who went as the No. 1 pick in the draft this year. The stakes were extremely high for Beck. He is at a point in his career where he cannot afford any kind of downturn. But On3’s J.D. PicKell is confident the 2024 Beck is a thing of the past. “I think at Miami, he’s going to get back to his 2023 ways,” he said in a July 3 episode of The Hard Count. PicKell, like many experts, pointed out that Georgia’s offense also lacked in places, and a flawed Carson Beck was just one of its many problems. But, Miami is also gearing up in a way with which the QB can work on improving himself. PicKell thinks Beck can still go for a first-round pick.

“Guy’s got some faults to him, but I don’t think that last year was indicative of how good he’s going to be at Miami. Because Miami, the way that offense is built, is to freaking sling it. Like yeah, Shannon Dawson has some power-run concepts. They want to get north and south. Mario Cristobal, still their head coach. So the offensive line is going to be a physical unit and they’ll want to impose their will, but they want to push the ball downfield and spray it.

“And I also will say this, I think those weapons are a lot better than people give credit for nationally… There’s some names you don’t know about as much, but there’s still enough there for Carson Beck to maximize his skill set. I think he gets back to his ways. I think he plays his way back into being a first-round pick,” PicKell added. Carson Beck, even though his support network performed badly, finished in the top 10 when it came to QBR. That Carson Beck factor was still there in him in that horrific season. This year, with a significant reset, it does look like things will change for the QB.

Carson Beck will have the support of a strong offensive Line, which is Cristobal’s specialty. His Hurricane support system of receivers is also going to be brand new as himself to the Miami offense. The program lost all six of its top receivers to the draft. Cristobal added BYU transfer Keelan Marion and Cincinnati’s Tony Johnson. The most significant impact will come with LSU’s C.J. Daniels, who is likely to get more playing time with Beck on the field. The receivers corps still poses a question mark, but Carson Beck’s rejuvenated spirit alone is why experts are rooting for his success, and Miami’s. The 2023 version of himself remains the benchmark for Carson Beck to swing all his critics in his favor.

2023 heroics or nothing is the baseline for Carson Beck’s Miami stint

Miami was paying $2 million to Cam Ward, and they ended up getting a No. 1 pick in the draft with that investment. Carson Beck is receiving more than double that amount, and maybe even the QB knows this – he is no Cam Ward. Technically, the bar set by Ward shouldn’t be unreachable for a QB with Beck’s reliable records. However, it will be extremely difficult for him to come close to what Ward did for Miami. But the bottom line is that Beck needs to give college football a recap of his 2023 brilliance in 2025, or go even beyond that to succeed.

“With Carson Beck, you’re getting a guy who’s more of your traditional pocket passer. Now, Carson Beck’s got to get back to the 2023 version of himself… he is really smart, he can process, he can anticipate, and get the ball out of his hand. I want to see if, every now and then, he can come up with some creative play that avoids a negative play and keeps the chains moving,” ACC Network’s Tom Luginbill said. Cristobal has to chip away the flaws that have built up on the QB this past year.

Carson Beck will generate an instant impact on Miami football. If he’s good, then Miami’s 2025 season goes well. If Carson Beck fails, then it would be a bigger failure for Mario Cristobal. Can the two launch each other back to their desired heights of success this season?