Quarterback Carson Beck has had quite a ride in his college football career. He was a backup at Georgia en route to two national titles in that role, a two-year starter who went 24-3 for the Bulldogs, and nearly led the Miami Hurricanes to their first national title in decades just three months ago. But as the NFL Draft nears, he doesn't seem to be getting a ton of love from teams.
According to NFL insider Albert Breer, a number of NFL coaches and executives are not particularly high on Beck in large part due to a perceived personality problem. One coach of an AFC team described him as "a villain."
"I follow college football loosely; there’s this sense that this guy is a villain. I don’t know where that comes from. Maybe it was leaving Georgia," the coach told Breer.
Problems with Beck
Another coach flatly said he wouldn't touch Beck due to his personality.
“He’s talented enough, smooth, on time, sees it well, he’s smart—probably the smartest kid in the class,” the NFC coach said. “But the personality is tough. I wouldn’t touch him.”
Another NFC coach went so far as to call Beck "the least talented player on the most talented team in the country" during his playing career. That coach described Beck as "an average athlete" who was average all-around and inconsistent with his decision-making.
“He’s an interesting study,” the coach said. “He was the least talented player on the most talented team in the country... My problem is he’s an average athlete, his arm is average and there’s no quick-twitch. Everything is methodical. And the decision-making is inconsistent—he makes some boneheaded decisions that make you question his instincts and feel.”
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Nevertheless, the annals of NFL history are filled with players who received negative marks in college and got almost no hype en route to enjoying solid careers as a starter. Little wonder then that some of the most QB-needy teams in the league have interviewed Beck despite some of the negative pre-draft reports.
Even so, Beck probably won't be drafted by a team looking for him to be their savior. Fans probably won't see him as one either.