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USA Today
06-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2026 draft scouting first look: Miami QB Carson Beck
Carson Beck entered the 2024 college football season as the presumptive No. 1 quarterback prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft. While Beck had a mighty successful season in leading Georgia to an 11-3 record and the College Football Playoff, his performance, when viewed through NFL eyes, wasn't as sharp as his prior time with the Bulldogs. After briefly declaring for the last draft, Beck opted to transfer to Miami. It's a chance at a prospect revitalization with Beck taking over for Hurricanes QB Cam Ward, who emerged as the No. 1 overall pick after one year in Miami. Beck has some work to do to get into that conversation, but there is still a lot to like about his pro-style game and potential. How Beck translates to Miami's offense remains to be seen. He's not Ward, who proved more patient and less mistake-prone in 2024 than Beck did. A quick refresh on Beck's performances against Alabama, Texas (the first meeting) and Ole Miss spotlights exactly where Beck can help himself regain first-round status for the 2026 NFL Draft. Before that comes, however, he'll need to show he's fully recovered from UCL surgery on his throwing elbow. Beck does still offer quite a bit of potential as a sort of high-end game manager, which isn't nearly the disparaging comment it's often interpreted to be. When Beck is patient, seeing the defense well (both pre- and post-snap) and confident in both his arm and the players around him, the 6-4, 220-pounder is a very good quarterback. Scouting first look: Caleb Downs He's got a good arm, not elite but certainly not lacking in zip. Beck can hit the wide sideline throws and rifle the ball into shrinking windows when he wants to. The throwing motion is fluid and easy, with consistent mechanics and a strong lower-body base. The feet and hips don't appear to engage as fluidly when he's pressured or on the move, but that's something that can be coached up. Beck's ability to handle pressure, both from the defense and from the weight of leading his own team, was not nearly as sharp in 2024 as they were in Georgia's national championship run a year earlier. Throwing to a lesser receiving corps, Beck appeared to try and get too perfect with his throws at times. The Bulldogs receivers weren't reliable and that looked like it weighed on Beck. How quickly Beck can develop chemistry and trust with his new Hurricanes mates should be a big key in his evaluation. It's the more complex defensive pressures and more exotic and deceptive coverages that really tripped up Beck in big games. Even in the upset win over Texas in October, Beck threw interceptions on Georgia's second and third offensive drives and struggled all day with now-NFL DBs Andrew Mukuba and Jahdae Barron not sticking to the film script Beck expected. Handling the added degree of difficulty from interior pressure that forces Beck to move off his desired throw point, and doing that while also more adeptly processing the back-end variations. Beck isn't really a runner, but like Ward a year ago, he's not stiff or reluctant to use his legs to gain a few yards when given the opportunity. Pocket mobility is a little better than advertised, though Beck could anticipate his escape routes a little better. That's true of most "game manager" quarterbacks, which again is not a pejorative in Beck's case. When he got away from being in calm control of the offense is when he struggled the most, a la recent draftees Bo Nix or Hendon Hooker. There's a lot for Beck to prove in 2025, but the capability for him to rise back up into prominent draft consideration is certainly there. It's going to take some work, however.
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Previewing the 2025 season for Penn State TE Khalil Dinkins with his player profile
Previewing the 2025 season for Penn State TE Khalil Dinkins with his player profile Going into the 2025 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will examine each player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover the player's background, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season. Splitting time with now-NFL players Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren, the path to playing time has been filled with obstacles for veteran tight end Khalil Dinkins. Entering his fifth season on campus, he's poised to push for a starting role and potentially see career highs in 2025 as the Nittany Lions push for another deep run in the College Football Playoff. Preseason Player Profile Hometown: Wexford, Pennsylvania Height: 6-4 Weight: 243 lb Class in 2025: Redshirt senior Recruiting Rankings Class of 2021: 4-star recruit by 247Sports, No. 33 tight end Dinkins was ranked as a 3- or 4-star by different recruiting services, and though he's shown flashes, it's been hard for him to earn consistent playing time in a loaded position room. Career Stats Games Receptions Yards Touchdowns Yards per reception 2022 10 4 53 1 13.3 2023 12 5 57 2 11.4 2024 15 14 122 2 8.7 Depth Chart Overview Dinkins will battle sophomore Luke Reynolds for the starting role this season following Warren's move to the NFL. Reynolds has impressive physical traits and arrived with high expectations as a blue-chip recruit, but Dinkins has been around the block and will push for the TE1 role in 2025, his final college season.
USA Today
27-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ex-Rams DL compares Poona Ford to Aaron Donald
Ex-Rams DL compares Poona Ford to Aaron Donald Aaron Donald became one of the best defensive linemen of all-time during his 10 NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. And while his exact skillset cannot be replicated, the Rams have made some concerted efforts to find feasible ways to replace Donald on their defensive line. The additions of Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Byron Young and Kobie Turner are great starts, but former Rams defensive lineman D'Marco Farr thinks the signing of Poona Ford is the closest the team has been to replacing what Donald can do in the trenches. "Everything we used to give AD [Aaron Donald] credit for, like diagnosing blocks, understanding how they're tying to eliminate you – [Ford]'s got that too, but just at the nose tackle spot," Farr told the team website. "So when AD makes a smart play, AD makes a smart play. When Poona makes a smart play, somebody else makes the play, but that's how good he is, that's how much he's going to help you. A good nose tackle is invaluable in football, no matter what level." It's certainly hard to compare the two players directly by just looking at their numbers. Donald had 111 career sacks, including 20.5 in the 2018 season. He also won Defensive Player of the Year three times, made the Pro Bowl all 10 years of his career and was an eight-time first-team All-Pro selection. Ford, meanwhile, has just 11.5 sacks in 101 games over seven seasons but 39 total quarterback hits and 229 combined tackles during that span. But, as Farr mentioned, they're two different players who are both great at the little things that make interior defensive linemen great. "You don't have to be very tall to play nose tackle. You have to be very willing, and you have to be an absolute tree stump. And he is all of that," Farr said of Ford. "So he's a complete guy that, I guess you'd say he mastered the art of playing the run, but he's a credible guy you can actually leave out there for three downs if you wanted to." The Ford deal has earned a lot of praise from pundits around the NFL world, including ex-Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. The now-NFL analyst said he "hated" playing against Ford because of how he leveraged his body and his skillset to beat Kelce in the trenches. The Rams lacked true run-stopping size in their defensive line after the Eagles ran all over them in the NFC Divisional Round. Now, they'll get a true run-stuffer in Ford as well as a big-bodied lineman who can give even the best centers problems. And if he's also a variant of Donald — that's great, too.
