Miami enters this weekend’s ACC bout against Florida State as the no. 3 team in the nation, and it’s looking like a legitimate national title contender for the first time in years. Head coach Mario Cristobal deserves a ton of credit for the Hurricanes’ 4-0 start, but today I want to focus on quarterback Carson Beck and edge Rueben Bain Jr.—Miami’s leaders on each side of the ball and two of the fastest risers in the 2026 NFL draft class.
Beck and Bain have several similarities. Both have tons of talent, both were trending toward being future first-round picks heading into the 2024 season, and both saw their draft stocks drop precipitously over the course of the year. Beck went from being in the preseason QB1 conversation to pulling out of the 2025 draft, while Bain struggled through an injury-riddled campaign that left him looking like a shell of the standout freshman we saw tally 7.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in 2023.
With Miami’s biggest game of the season just around the corner, there’s no better time than now to dive into the tape and break down how what I’m seeing is influencing each prospect’s respective draft grade. I’ve also included an NFL comp for each guy, their draft stock statuses as we near the college football midseason mark, and some standout tape with my commentary.
A quick reminder that you can join me and my McShay Show cohost, Steve Muench, live on YouTube in the final minutes of FSU-Miami on Saturday night to react to every angle of the big game. See you in the chat!
I’ve seen several shades of Beck, but arguably none better than the 2025 version we’ve witnessed through Miami’s first four games. He didn’t look in control last season at Georgia, and I’m not sure he was the best culture fit for that program. This year, though, all reports I’ve gotten off the field have been glowing.
After studying Beck’s tape and evaluating his on-field performance, four themes emerged:
Beck is comfortable in this offense and going through his progressions quickly and confidently, which is leading to more decisive play from him. There’s such a contrast between what I’m seeing now and what I saw at UGA. Everything is bang, bang, bang … ball out!
He looks more nimble inside—and occasionally outside—the pocket. I don’t want to oversell this point because he’s not very mobile by today’s standards. But he’s using quick slides and climbs inside the pocket to buy extra time for his receivers to uncover, and it’s making a difference. And when he takes off running, he’s not lumbering quite like he was during his time with the Bulldogs.
His accuracy has been a bit streaky at times, but as a whole, his receivers aren’t having to work for the football the way they did at Georgia. Beck is responsible for much of that improvement, but I also have to give credit to the receiving trio of Malachi Toney, CJ Daniels, and Keelan Marion, who are making plays on the football at a significantly higher clip than his targets at Georgia were.
He’s still struggling with the deep ball in terms of placement, decision-making, and touch/trajectory. That’s the biggest weakness I’m seeing in his game and Miami’s offense through four games.
Draft Status: Beck entered the season outside of my top five QB prospects and looked more like a late-round flier than he did a future no. 1 pick. I’m not ready to put him in the Round 1 conversation just yet, but he’s firmly in the day-two mix, with the arrow pointing up.
NFL Comp: Drew Lock, but it’s not a one-to-one fit. There aren’t many pure pocket passers left in the league to compare Beck to.
Let’s start with the positives on Beck. The above 28-yard TD pass to Malachi Toney got things rolling for Miami against Notre Dame in Week 1. Notice how Beck scans the field, slides to his left while working from stage two to stage three in his progression, and then delivers a smart throw (with DL93 in his face) that forces Toney to flatten his route so the DB has no chance of getting back into the play. It’s top-shelf stuff.
Here we have a Beck-to-Toney connection from early in the first quarter of the USF game. Beck comes off his read at the last second, locates Toney coming out of his break, and doesn’t flinch with his throw despite DL63 gearing up for a clean shot on him. He takes on the pressure but still layers the pass beautifully with perfect touch and placement. A closer look at the two side-by-side frames below illustrates just how much anticipation Beck threw this ball with—and the punishment he took for standing strong in the pocket:
Beck’s been far from perfect, though. I’ve seen some concerning decision-making on tape this season and at times a lack of situational awareness. This pick against USF is an example of both:
It’s Beck at his worst. He’s under pressure and just gets greedy despite Miami nursing a 28-6 lead late in the second quarter. Beck’s aggressiveness has helped him more than it’s hurt him to this point in the season, but this is the type of thing you just can’t get away with against elite college defenses or in the NFL.
Bain—listed at 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds—is powerfully built with a thick trunk. He was hampered by a calf injury in 2024, but in 2025, he’s been an absolute force. Through four games, the Miami edge has registered 22 tackles (3.5 for loss), two sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception.
He flashes impressive burst, bend, and flexibility for his frame and is an absolute nightmare for offensive tackles on passing downs because of his power as a rusher. If and when he refines his hands, he’ll be a real problem in the NFL.
Draft Status: Bain entered this season with a fringe first-round grade, but he’s been the most impactful defensive player in the nation through four games. He’s my top-ranked edge in a talented class (behind him are Keldric Faulk, T.J. Parker, LT Overton, and Matayo Uiagalelei) and is trending toward being a top-10 pick.
NFL Comp: Jared Verse. Neither guy has elite straight-line speed, but their power is enough to overwhelm even the most sturdy offensive tackles.
There was so much good Bain tape that I had a hard time deciding which clips to include in this newsletter.
I want to start by sharing a handful that showcase his standout traits: power and burst.
On obvious passing downs like the above third-and-9 in the first quarter against Notre Dame, Bain looks like a freight train rushing off the edge. He misses the sack, but displays excellent burst and puts a ton of pressure on opposing QB CJ Carr.
This is Bain showcasing his inside game against USF. He used pure power to stand the OG up and then quick hands to disengage en route to the QB. It’s an NFL play.
Here’s another sequence (from the fourth quarter against Florida) that really impressed me:
The first play is a great example of Bain (on the far right) engaging his power rush while maintaining gap integrity to keep DJ Lagway bottled up in the pocket. And the second clip—where he’s the standup OLB on the right side of the screen—gives you a look at how flexible/nimble he can be as a pass rusher. Watch him flash his hand to the offensive tackle (to keep him guessing), followed by the dip-and-rip with great body lean to shave the edge. Big-time stuff.
My last takeaway on Bain is that he’s not a one-trick pony. Check out this clip of him fitting the run against Florida:
Look at how he engages with the offensive tackle and uses leverage, quickness, and hand strength to make quick work of him. Then Bain adjusts his body in the short area to make the tackle for no gain. It’s an encouraging sign that suggests Bain could be more than just a dedicated pass rusher at the next level.
