Carson Beck NFL draft: Georgia QB's draft stock soars after Rivalry Week dominance
The up-and-down season of Carson Beck is trending upwards after a strong three week run. It’s no surprise then that the Georgia Bulldogs quarterback's Draft stock has risen in the last few weeks, especially after leading the ‘Dawgs to a dramatic 44-42, 8 overtime win over Georgia Tech.
Beck’s draft stock has changed several times during the season. The senior quarterback was considered a top prospect before the season, but after struggling during most of the first half of the year, his stock dropped dramatically before rising again the past few weeks.
He still figures to be one of the most controversial players heading into the Draft.
A comeback for the ages
The matchup didn’t start as the Bulldogs expected, as the Yellow Jackets took a 17-0 nothing lead in the first half. Carson Beck and the offense finally reacted in the third quarter, as the quarterback threw four touchdown passes in the second half to tie the score at 27-27 at the end of regulation.
In overtime, Beck added two more passing touchdowns to his totals as the Bulldogs outlasted their in-state rivals. The final line for the quarterback read 28 of 43, 297 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions, as well as some clutch throws in key moments of the game.
Considering the stakes and the pressure after falling behind, it might have been his strongest performance of the season and just in time to boost his Draft stock.
How did the win over Georgia Tech affect his Draft stock?
Carson Beck’s performance on Rivalry Week likely helped his stock even more as we are nearing the end of the season. The second half against Georgia Tech might have been his most important 30 minutes of football yet.
The Jacksonville, Florida, native was already seeing his Draft buzz going up after strong performances against Tennessee and Massachusetts. But his performance against the Yellow Jackets defense in the second half was probably as good as any half for other quarterback during the season.
In fact, in his last three games, Beck has thrown for 941 yards, with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. As we have seen before, though, the Georgia quarterback has been prone to inconsistency, so things could change quickly.
However, for comparison's sake, after the Nov. 9 loss to Ole Miss, Beck had 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Thanks to his five-TD performance on Saturday, Carson Beck has 28 touchdowns and the aforementioned 12 interceptions.
This weekend’s game against Texas could be the most important yet as far as his draft status goes. If he can have a strong performance against the nation’s top passing defense, it could help erase doubts about his game. If he struggles, though, we could see another move in the wrong direction.
Where could Carson Beck be drafted?
Most Draft experts agree that the top two quarterbacks of the draft class are Cam Ward and Shadeur Sanders. Even if some analysts have Carson Beck near the top, the consensus still seems to place him in the second group of quarterbacks, along with the likes of Jaxson Dart, Quinn Ewers, Jalen Milroe and maybe Dillon Gabriel.
At this point, the Georgia quarterback's stock could be near the top of that evenly matched second group, which means he could get drafted anywhere from the first round to being a Day 2 pick.
It might not look like much, but just a few weeks before, it seemed like he would drop completely out of the top-two quarterback groups and into Day 3 of the NFL Draft. A strong ending to the season, of course, would help solidify his standing.