Prediction: Beck will be a Steeler

Everyone commenting knows that they aren't playing in the NFL. It doesn't make them an NFL player.

I think the point is that they are officially getting paid to play football, which makes them a pro. You can be a pro and not be in the NFL.

Just because they aren't finished products doesn't mean they aren't a pro. Just like a rookie quarterback in the NFL isn't a finished product.

The money they are getting paid also allows them to pay for professional training outside of the college system on their own time, or the NIL sponsor can also pay for that training. Just like NFL players get.

The NCAA limits the number of hours that players can practice each day, week, etc. Having the ability to train and work on your own game outside of the university you play for can certainly up your game. The financial investment in these guys gives them access to so much more specialized training than players of years ago.

 

I think the Steelers have no choice but to draft a QB in the 3rd round or beyond. I wouldn't use a high pick on a QB from this draft class.

From looking at this Beck, he shows the tools of promise. He also has some red flags but regarding the championship game's incident, I think it comes down to how he is interviewed.

If he comes off as a cocky SOB then pass. If he admits to not handling it well than overlook it imo.

I would be good with he Steelers drafting him in the 3rd round or beyond if he passes the interview process

 

He was a professional last year in the same sense that minor league baseball players are professionals. He was getting paid to play and he was no longer a student. That doesn't mean he is a finished product, but it does mean he should show more polish than he did in certain situations. If a guy with his experience was still making big mistakes under pressure, I have doubts about his ability to overcome that flaw.

 

I doubt a 3rd rounder can come in and make a difference. I’d rather reload with other positions or get some 2027 draft capital and try to go all in next year when the QB class is much stronger.

 

This is what I was trying to get at. Thanks for saying it far more clearly.

 

I don't think the criticism of Beck melting under pressure is accurate. He won 3 straight NCAA playoff games over some high caliber teams like Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss. And he pushed Indiana to the limit after the Hoosiers had completely slaughtered everyone else. Beck outplayed Julian Sayin, who will be a high first round pick when declares for the draft.

 

The criticism is Beck had the most opportunity to be better than actual student athletes. He had nothing to do except play football. If You aren't head, and shoulders above others with that type of advantage, then how do you expect him to be head, and shoulders above others when they all are just playing football in the NFL.

 

The question is, if we draft another mid round QB does that mean we aren't getting Rodgers? Why would we do this if we knew Rodgers was back? Unless of course the plan is to have Howard and Beck (or whoever we draft) compete for the back up job behind him? Otherwise, drafting a QB could signal that Rodgers isn't back and its a Rudolph/Howard/Rookie competition.

 

Do any of them really attend classes? I would guess very few of them do.

 

Yes they do, at least the Razorbacks do. Now are they good at the classes, now that's another question, but Yes they do attend.

 

Again though, comparing the College Football performance to the NFL Performance is no different than comparing an ant hill to Mt. Everest. Those differences do matter; namely in the form of even the basic operations for a player such as nutrition, training, rest, scheduling, etc.


NIL didn't make the NCAA more like the NFL. All NIL did was open up a different world that college athletes never thought possible; getting paid due to their performance... mostly. Money by itself doesn't make a College Football Player a Pro. Skill, talent and craft do however.

 

My granddaughter was dating a college football player and she was complaining about the difference in their finals coming up. She had to study calculus equations and his final was listing the 22 positions on the football field.

 

Yeah well I can only tell You what I know for a fact. They must at least attend a certain amount of class, whereas Beck had no such restrictions, and only had to play football.

 

I think the funniest part about the difference between NCAA and NFL is that teams practice more in the NCAA because the rules in the NFL are so restrictive. Remember when we had guys like Pickens (Georgia) coming in and talking about how we didn't really do much in preseason? IIRC he said that and vets explained to him that it's because there's a CBA that limits team activities.

It also sounds like players who come to the Steelers feel like training facilities and support for things like nutrition and sports performance are better in college than on the Steelers.

I think the big name players who can afford to pay for these things by themselves do it better than big time colleges do.

But I think that big time college programs probably offer at least as much support for marquee players. Especially since NCAA is still mostly free labor. And because success in the NCAA is all about recruiting, so having the best facilities and support likely go a long way to getting the best players and the most success.

And while pros likely have more time to spend on their craft, my guess is that many top tier NCAA athletes in football and basketball don't really spend much of their time on being students. My guess is that they are professionals in all but name. And now they are finally paying (some of) them.

 

3-99 at the earliest for any QB

 

CMP ATT CMP% YDS AVG TD INT LNG SACK RTG
295 434 68.0 3,706 8.5 26 9 89 22 155.3
300 429 69.9 4,114 9.6 37 13 95 19 172.9


290 448 64.7 3,485 7.8 28 12 67 18 145.3
338 467 72.4 3,813 8.2 30 12 61 18 157.0


Someone here compared Beck to Manziel