Carson Beck: The Most Hyped Quarterback in Georgia History?

Is Carson Beck the most hyped up quarterback at Georgia in program history?

Jonathan Williams | Jul 11, 2024

Apr 13, 2024; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) passes the ball during the G-Day Game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

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Is Carson Beck the most hyped up quarterback at Georgia in program history?

Georgia's football program has had some players receive some major draft hype before they even play their final snap of college football. NFL organizations would've drafted Jalen Carter as a true freshman if they were allowed to. This year, there are quite a few current Bulldogs that are receiving some major draft hype, but arguably none are higher than quarterback Carson Beck, who many have tabbed already as the favorite to be the first overall pick in 2025.

It's not out of the ordinary for Georgia to have players projected as top-10 picks, especially not since Kirby Smart has arrived, but it is for that hype to come at the quarterback position at Georgia. That's not to say the program hasn't had good quarterback play over the years, in fact, it's been the opposite. Aaron Murray, Jake Fromm and Stetson Bennett all hold their respected places in Georgia football history and either had a shot in the NFL or are still working at it. Carson Beck however stands in a class of his own compared to those names when it comes to NFL hype, and it begs the question: Is Carson Beck the most hyped-up quarterback in Georgia football history?

Well, to answer that question, I think there is only one name that can be brought into this discussion for a comparison - Matthew Stafford.

Since we are talking about hype and specifically draft hype, I don't think this is a conversation that needs to be bogged down with numbers. Especially considering Stafford already had two full seasons of play under his belt by the time he was entering his draft year whereas Beck only has one. Instead, I think it would be better to compare what the experts themselves say. NFL mock drafts have been a thing for a long time and NFL draft experts have been around for a long time, so let's compare the hype.

For starters, in 2009, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both had Stafford going first overall to the Detroit Lions in their mock draft. It should also be noted that these are updated mock drafts from that year, so not on the exact timeline as Beck considering he will be pulled from preseason mock drafts. ESPN's Matt Miller recently tabbed Beck as the first overall pick next year and Jordan Reid gave him the highest chance to go first overall. So right now, mock drafts are lining

So both Beck and Stafford share the title of preseason first overall projected draft pick, but what were the experts actually saying about both of them? Well, let's see.

Todd McShay on Stafford:

"Yes, his inconsistency can be frustrating, his footwork needs polishing and he must learn to take some heat off his fastball when throwing underneath. But after studying the game tape of the entire 2009 quarterback class, it's clear to us that Stafford is the top dog. His combination of accuracy, arm strength, surprising mobility and experience in a pro-style offense (in the SEC) is second to none."

Kirk Herbstreit on Matthew Stafford:

"I really think that Matthew Stafford - when it's all said and done with the talent around him and watching and looking at him these last couple of days throw the football - it's hard for me to imagine a better-looking physical specimen in simply getting back and distributing the football than Matthew Stafford," Herbstreit said after watching Stafford at the Elite 11.

Now let's see what some experts are saying right now about Beck.

Matt Miller on Carson Beck:

“It has to be Carson Beck from Georgia [as the first overall pick],” Miller said. “Interestingly enough, on that FPI, four of those teams have young quarterbacks. So I think next year is that time where we maybe do see a team like the New York Giants or the Las Vegas Raiders try to move up the board to get Carson Beck, who right now, is the No. 1 quarterback in the class. We saw him play a little bit in 2022. Four touchdowns, no interceptions. Last year, taking the place of Stetson Bennett as the starter, really came out hot – 24 touchdowns to just six interceptions."

Jordan Reid on Carson Beck:

"Beck is the most common name mentioned at the top of this class of signal-callers, but there are still some questions that he needs to answer heading into his second season as a full-time starter... However, Beck doesn't make a ton of plays outside of structure, and his footwork is still a little inconsistent.... If Beck can answer the call and put up another big season, he could certainly emerge as QB1 in this class and end up the top pick for a quarterback-needy franchise."

So let's do a quick little breakdown. For both quarterbacks, footwork was mentioned as something they need to work on. "his footwork is still a little inconsistent," for Beck, and "his footwork needs polishing," for Stafford. Both were also mentioned as the clear-cut favorites to go first overall. " it's clear to us that Stafford is the top dog," and “It has to be Carson Beck from Georgia [as the first overall pick]." Just going off of that, it feels as if they are on the same level as the hype bar.

As it stands right now, I think it's fair to say Stafford probably had a little more hype around him from an NFL draft perspective than Beck does right now, but again, that's with Beck only having one season under his belt. The fair conclusion would be to check back in after Beck's 2024 season comes to a close, but even right now, it provides an interesting conversation of just how similar the two Georgia gunslingers are to one another in the eye of the NFL.

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Published Jul 11, 2024

JONATHAN WILLIAMS