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Arizona Cardinals draft pick Carson Beck shared his initial thoughts on joining the team.

Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, it wasn’t a question that the Arizona Cardinals would take a quarterback. Instead, the questions came down to when and who they would select.

In the end, that pick came at 65th overall in the third round. There, the Cardinals selected Carson Beck, who played at Georgia and Miami during his college career. It’s an interesting spot for Beck, who should now have an opportunity to compete for a starting job.

“For the call to come (Friday), really, really cool and I’m super blessed for this opportunity,” Beck said after being selected. “Super, super grateful to be able to come in there and work my tail off.”

Beck spent six seasons in college. That includes winning two national championships as a backup at Georgia before taking over as the starter there. An injury to his throwing elbow derailed his 2024 season in the SEC Championship Game, though, and prompted a transfer to Miami, where he took the Hurricanes to the National Championship Game. Now, he’s hoping that college success translates to on-field success in the NFL.

“My whole entire approach to this thing is being myself, being the best player I possibly can be and just trying to take advantage of every single opportunity that I’m given,” Beck said.

“I don’t know what that’ll look like, I’m not sure what’s gonna happen in the future. But I know for sure that I’m gonna step in there and try to take advantage of every opportunity I can and put my best foot forward each and every day.”

Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Mike LaFleur on Selecting Carson Beck

Carson Beck is the first quarterback to be drafted in the Mike LaFleur tenure with the Arizona Cardinals. It’s an important pick, particularly with questions at quarterback this season.

“He’s a big, solid dude. I mean, he’s 6-foot-4, he’s 235 pounds. He looks the part, right? That doesn’t mean that that’s the end all be all by any means. Natural thrower, he’s tough,” LaFleur said.

“I think one of the coolest things about him, especially after being around him… He’s been through those big games, but he’s been through some adversity, too. That’s well-documented, it’s out there. And I think he’s gotten better from it.”

The relationship between LaFleur and Beck should be a good one. The two met for a Top 30 visit and, according to Beck, they hit it off well.

“Just talking ball with him, you can just tell the football knowledge and obviously, that’s what I love,” Beck said. “I’ve played football for a long time, and being around guys that really understand the game and really care about their guys is really important to me.”

Cardinals Could Make a Major Trade at Quarterback

The Cardinals have an interesting quarterback situation going into 2026. With veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett returning, the expectation has been that he will initially be the team’s starting quarterback.

However, Brissett also wants a new contract, and that has led to concerns about the future. Now, one NFL GM thinks there’s a chance he could get moved in a trade.

“They’ll move Brissett by the deadline,” an NFL GM said. “Watch.”

If the Cardinals were to move Brissett, it would leave them with Carson Beck, Gardner Minshew, and Kedon Slovis. Minshew is the only one in that group with starting experience in the NFL, but it could also open up the opportunity for Beck to get some of that experience.

Brissett, meanwhile, could help a quarterback-needy team or someone dealing with an injury. The return for him then would become another pieces of the rebuild for Arizona.