It’s been three weeks since the 2024 NFL Draft. Time to flip the switch into 2025 draft evaluation mode.
This year’s summer scouting kicks off with Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, who is widely projected to be one of the top prospects. I had some scouting familiarity with Beck while he was considered a potential early entrant into the 2024 draft, but the Bulldogs QB opted for another year. He also threw to two very prominent prospects in the 2024 draft, TE Brock Bowers and WR Ladd McConkey, and also had a first-round OT in Amarius Mims, so there was quite a bit of base viewing on Beck.
I went back and watched six Georgia games from the 2023 season with the spotlight on Beck. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound listing by the Bulldogs program seems legit when watching Beck. He’s got a good, athletic build and carries himself with the presence of someone who expects to be great and projects that to his teammates.
This is a fairly typical play from Beck in Georgia’s offense. Routine pitch-and-catch on a shorter throw to an open receiver in a clean window.
It’s not sexy, but it spotlights what Beck does very well. He takes the layups and his accuracy and timing give his weapons chances to create after the catch. Quick delivery, good balanced throwing motion here.
One nitpick that is visible in that throw vs. Auburn that showed repeatedly on Beck’s tape: he doesn’t move his eyes or his neck off his primary target. There’s a whole lot of staring down his target. When the receivers are open, as they often were in 2023, it’s not a problem, but it’s something I want to see Beck improve upon in 2024.
Another area for improvement is touch on shorter throws. Beck tends to rifle the ball into short slants and quick screens. When he does try to take something off the throw, the accuracy really wanes. There are too many instances where Beck loses the precise ball placement when he doesn’t throw the shorter and intermediate routes at full velocity. That’s not an uncommon issue for big-armed QBs, and it is something that Beck did get better at from September to December.
Yes, the arm is indeed strong. Beck can whistle in a cross-field strike with impressive velocity and without needing to engage into a full-body throwing motion. He’s got a consistent, well-honed throwing motion and resets himself quickly and consistently when forced to move off his spot.
Beck does have some running ability. He showed off some good decision-making and elusiveness in this touchdown run against UT-Martin:
Beck isn’t a running QB, but he can indeed get out of trouble when he senses the pressure. And that’s another area for improvement. He doesn’t have a great sense for backside pressure or secondary rushers if they’re not obvious pre-snap. A lot of that got mitigated by so many quick throws in the Georgia offense, but it’s something to keep an eye on in 2024 as he works with a lot of new receivers; will he trust his new guys, and will his sense of imminent danger grow?
Trust in the receivers is critical, because Beck did force a lot of balls — to Bowers specifically but also staying with his primary read too long even if it was well-covered. That was very evident in the Auburn and Alabama games. I can’t speak to Georgia’s receiving talent right now, but Beck needs them to help him out if he’s going to attempt some of the throws he made to Bowers and WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint in 2023 with defenders draped all over them.
Overall I came away largely impressed with Beck. There’s a lot to work with athletically, and his arm strength and capable mobility are definitely appealing. Growth in the processing department, throwing touch, and an ability to adapt to new receivers will be major keys to Beck’s draft stock in the coming college season.
