Carson Beck Might Really Be Steelers Next QB

The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have an early favorite in the race for their top quarterback option in the 2026 NFL Draft.

While there's some belief that the organization could target Alabama's Ty Simpson in the first round or select Penn State's Drew Allar on Day 2, it's Miami's Carson Beck that is perhaps the leader in the clubhouse.

Beck is the only quarterback to have taken a top-30 visit with Pittsburgh up to this point. While that's certain to change in short order, it's still rather notable that he's drawn as much interest as he has from the organization as they've evaluated this year's incoming rookie class at the position.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck (11) throws during the CFP Fiesta Bowl against Miami at the State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Ariz., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Beck's Collegiate Career

Beck started out at the University of Georgia as a true freshman in 2020 and was a backup for the program's back-to-back national title runs in 2021 and 2022.

He took over as the starter in 2023 and threw for 3,941 yards, which led the SEC, to go alongside 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.

After posing 3,485 yards, 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024, however, Beck transferred to the University of Miami for his final year of eligibility in 2025.

He had a bit of a resurgence with the Hurricanes, throwing for 3,813 yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interception while leading the program all the way to the title game, where they lost to Fernando Mendoza and Indiana.

Is Beck the Right Choice for Pittsburgh?

With as weak of a quarterback class as there is in this year's draft outside of Mendoza, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick, there's really no right or wrong answer for the Steelers when it comes to what prospect to target.

Simpson would make sense for Pittsburgh if it truly is of the mindset that he can blossom into a long-term starter, but there are plenty of doubts about his ability to translate to the next level.

The same goes for Allar with his shoddy mechanics and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier lack of athleticism. Beck's arm talent is often cited as a negative aspect of his profile, but he has enough working in his favor to believe he'll stick around in the NFL for a decade in some capacity.

From his vast experience to his accuracy, touch and mechanics, Beck has arguably the highest floor of any of the signal callers in the draft beyond Mendoza.

Perhaps the ceiling isn't super high due to the limitations with his arm and the fact that he's not the most athletic quarterback in the world, but as a game-manager, Beck should be able to hold his own and play at a high enough level in the NFL.

It helps that he likely won't need to sit for long and can be thrust into action almost immediately, which would give the Steelers another option behind center.

Pittsburgh still appears to believe in Will Howard, but if it's thinking in terms of the bigger picture, it could have him and Beck battle it out for the starting job somewhere down the line, whether it be in 2026 or 2027.

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