Matt Miller explains why Carson Beck is early No. 1 QB in 2025 NFL Draft class

With two months to go until the 2024 college football season starts, chatter is already starting about the 2025 NFL Draft. At quarterback, one player who opted to stay in college for another year highlights the top of ESPN’s rankings at the position, according to Matt Miller.

Georgia standout Carson Beck checked in as ESPN’s early No. 1-ranked quarterback this week, followed by Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders at No. 2. Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard rounded out the Top 5.

But it’s Beck who stands out above the rest, Miller said Friday on “NFL Live” with Kevin Negandhi and Louis Riddick. While he’s not at the level of hype as past quarterbacks such as Caleb Williams or Trevor Lawrence, Beck showed plenty of strong traits in his first season as the starter to enter the 2024 season as the No. 1 quarterback on the board.

“It has to be Carson Beck from Georgia,” 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 IV as the starter, really came out hot – 24 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

“But he shows an efficient style of play from within the pocket. He has a very, very good arm. What impresses me the most, he is a fast processor. His ability to see the field as a first-year starter was really unprecedented, especially going against SEC defenses.”

Beck shook an up-and-down start last season to put up impressive numbers after taking the reins from Bennett. In 14 games, he completed 72.4% of his passes for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns, leading Georgia to the Orange Bowl.

But the SEC is going to take a step up this year with Oklahoma and, most notably for Beck, Texas joining. The Longhorns will welcome Georgia Oct. 19, and that will serve as a key test for the Bulldog star in his second year as the starting quarterback. To Miller, that will be a good barometer for how he does against a tough defense.

“The schedule for Georgia this year is tough,” Miller said. “The SEC is much tougher this year. He’s gonna get a game against Texas. That’s gonna answer a lot of questions about well he can handle not only a great secondary, but a great pass rush.

“So Beck starts the year as the top guy. He’s not on the level of a Trevor Lawrence or a Caleb Williams as a prospect, but in a really good group of quarterbacks, he does stand out as the best guy.”