SEC QB rankings No. 4: Carson Beck, Georgia
- Passing yards: 2,716
- TD: 16 INT: 4
- Comp: 72.2%
- YPA: 9.2
One of my favorite ways, and in my opinion most insightful ways to separate quarterbacks, is by evaluating how they perform when everything isn’t perfect. That’s where Carson Beck falls short and why he lands at No. 4 in these rankings.
Beck is great, he’s second in the conference and 10th in the country in QBR and his 60.8 expected points added is seventh nationally, one spot behind Michael Penix Jr. and a spot ahead of Drake Maye. He just went 21-32 for 254 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-21 win over Missouri, yet I have him behind three other SEC QBs.
The reason is Beck’s performance under pressure. Not pressure at the end of the game, he’s looked poised in those situations, but pressure from the opposing pass rush. He’s not pressured much, because he’s on a great offense and maybe the most talented team in the country.
However, on the 16.4% of dropbacks that he is pressured, he completes only 44.1% of his passes for 7.1 yards per attempt with an average depth of target of 9.9 which is tied for 13th out of 17 SEC QBs with at least 15 pressured dropbacks.
He’s safe with the ball against the rush and doesn’t get sacked much, just a 17.0% pressure to sack rate which is sixth best among that SEC sample. He just isn’t a playmaker when he offensive line has a breakdown. He has unimpressive passing stats against pressure and a 3.2 rushing EPA which is 10th in the conference and well behind the next three QBs.
Beck will keep dominating behind a great offensive line, but I need to see him beat a great defense that is capable of heating him up in the pocket to truly be sold.