5 UNDERRATED quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft | Carson Beck, Diego Pavia, Cade Klubnik & MORE ✅

0:00 radar guys you need to know on draft day.

0:02 Of course, the organizations that can unearth gems

0:05 in the later rounds sustain winning at the NFL level, coach.

0:10 Well, I mean, look, all of these are about,

0:12 you know, the quarterback is the guy, right?

0:15 It He stirs the drink.

0:17 He's the one that makes it happen.

0:18 And I think that that's that's what you're looking for.

0:21 Can you find one of those guys that can make

0:24 it happen or does it come somewhere else down the line?

0:28 And all these scouts, they're they're in your your football buildings

0:32 every morning bringing donuts in, you know,

0:34 watching the guys work out, doing all This is where that pays off is right now.

0:39 Yeah, this is an opportunity, you know,

0:41 for for scouts and GMs and decision-makers to find those glue guys,

0:45 those guys that eventually lead you to winning a championship.

0:48 Now, these aren't the most notable, recognizable names out the gate,

0:51 but these are the guys that help you

0:53 set a culture and a foundation for your franchise.

0:56 So, this is an opportunity to go out and dig.

0:58 Like coach said, those GMs and scouts

1:00 digging and find those diamonds in the rough, those great players.

1:03 And also, if you are a GM or head of a player personnel,

1:06 an opportunity to throw your name in the hat and for you

1:08 to up the level for yourselves and get a job, maybe to potentially be a GM.

1:12 Who knows?

1:13 Yeah, that diagnosis process is definitely key in finding those special players.

1:18 But to the point what what you guys made, a team, a championship team,

1:22 any great team I've ever been associated with, it's

1:24 more than about than just the superstars, right?

1:27 You have talented, skilled role players that play down in and down

1:31 out that actually facilitate those superstars shining on game day.

1:36 And there's a lot of unsung heroes and people that do

1:38 a lot of dirty work that actually make that happen.

1:41 This is what we're talking about.

1:42 Those are those guys that are buried beneath those guys that we talk about,

1:46 that we can't stop talking about their combine

1:48 workout or how good they look in a uniform.

1:49 It's like, no, these are the guys that you may overlook them,

1:53 but they are the glue, like you said, Bennie, that holds your team together.

1:56 And every once in a while a guy like this becomes even more than a glue guy.

2:00 We're going to start with the most important position, quarterback.

2:03 Plenty have made a significant impact despite being

2:05 selected on day three, far from draft day.

2:10 Most recently, that includes Brock Purdy,

2:13 who's become very relevant in a short time with the 9ers.

2:16 He's also one of Kevin's former teammates with the Rams a few years back.

2:21 And while the 2026 class is thin up top,

2:23 there are several signal callers ready to be the next unexpected gem.

2:31 They toss it Tride Green's way and Tride

2:33 Green muscles it away from two defenders.

2:36 Garrett Nussmeier put it in a spot that only Tride Green can go get it.

2:39 Klubnik takes out.

2:41 And then he takes away, tries to throw, avoids the rush.

2:44 Picks it back up.

2:45 Got to the end zone.

2:46 Touchdown!

2:48 Wow.

2:50 And Allar now the fade to the corner and IT'S CAUGHT.

2:54 TOUCHDOWN, HUDSON.

2:55 Perfect throw to Khai Ron Hudson.

2:58 BECK THROWS.

3:00 TOUCHDOWN!

3:02 CARSON BECK TO LAMAR CLITCHER.

3:05 Pavia drops back.

3:06 He feels the pressure.

3:07 Oh, he's going TO RUSH.

3:08 TOUCHDOWN!

3:09 THERE'S THE BELT.

3:10 DIEGO PAVIA, 21 YARDS.

3:15 And plenty of intriguing options could be available day

3:17 three with plenty of collegiate production on their resumes.

3:20 That includes LSU signal caller Garrett Nussmeier,

3:24 who NFL execs have been very high on in the past.

3:27 Of course, you coached him down at LSU.

3:30 Brian, what do you make of these NFL prospects?

3:33 Well, I just think, you know, first of all,

3:34 we saw all those quarterbacks and each one

3:36 of them has to go to the right system.

3:38 Garrett does as well.

3:39 Obviously, if you want to run read option,

3:41 if you want to do some things like that, that's not what he does.

3:44 He's got great arm talent.

3:45 He's going to get you in the right protections.

3:47 He's going to slide and make sure that he's picked up.

3:50 And [music] and he's going to deliver the football.

3:52 You can see his his ability to throw the ball on time in the seam.

3:56 His ability to move out of the pocket here and throw on the run.

4:00 All those things are being evaluated every

4:03 single day when it comes to the quarterback.

4:04 And and he's he's a a [music] guy that comes from a football family.

4:08 And he's been around and he knows what it's like.

4:10 He's been on the sideline in the NFL.

4:12 The game is not going to be too big for him.

4:14 I think he's going to have great success.

4:15 Like I said, I think he has all the arm talent in the world.

4:18 I think he has the potential to be one

4:20 of those great quarterbacks that gets drafted on day two,

4:23 day three, but that surges and works his way

4:26 works his way up to be in a franchise guy.

4:28 We've seen Garrett Nussmeier look like [music]

4:31 the best quarterback in college football at times.

4:33 And we've seen some other things that kind of make you scratch your head.

4:36 But he dealt with injuries.

4:37 He dealt with adversity.

4:38 And to me, that's what I love about a quarterbacks.

4:40 How are you when you deal with adversity?

4:42 We've seen him get up time and time again and go

4:45 out and lead the charge for for his football team,

4:47 no matter what he's been through.

4:49 Similarly, Clemson's Cade Klubnik had a great season in 2024,

4:53 but took a step back last year.

4:55 Now, he's hoping to land in the right system

4:57 in the NFL to what coach Kelly just said.

5:00 Well, to the talking points that coach Kelly just made,

5:02 I mean, when you look at these quarterbacks,

5:04 it's all about how they're utilized, what they're asked to do,

5:07 what they like to do and what they feel comfortable doing.

5:10 I think Cade Klubnik took a step back

5:12 this past year because he got a little gun-shy

5:14 due to scheme and what they were trying

5:16 to realize with the talent that was around him.

5:18 They had a forecast in that this was going

5:20 to be one of their best years ever, right?

5:22 And when things didn't fall in place immediately,

5:24 they went back to the drawing board.

5:25 I think a little bit too soon.

5:27 They had a lot of experience in the quarterback,

5:29 had a lot of experienced people on the offense,

5:31 had a great defense that was ready to support a winning offense.

5:36 But they didn't have the winning offense this year.

5:38 But Cade Klubnik in the right system with the right coaching,

5:42 he's one of those guys that can get up and make

5:44 a like another bid to to to plead his case in this game.

5:48 Yeah, I would agree with that.

5:49 I think, you know, we saw [music] him in the opener.

5:52 I love his his presence.

5:54 I mean, he is a big, physical, [music] great-looking kid.

5:58 Great leader on the sideline, never has his head down.

6:02 Look, if you've got a pick, you know, in the second,

6:04 third day of this draft, this is a a great value for you.

6:07 And he's got a chance in the right system,

6:09 as Kevin mentioned, to to be a starter for you.

6:12 All right.

6:12 Drew Allar at Penn State could never quite get on track last season,

6:16 eventually breaking his ankle and missing a good chunk of the year.

6:19 What do you make of Allar going into the draft?

6:22 Drew Allar, just like Garrett Nussmeier, in my opinion,

6:25 both of those guys have all the arm talent in the world.

6:28 They have all the attributes and makings to be a great NFL quarterback.

6:32 Now, it's going to take the right system.

6:33 It's going to take the right coaching.

6:35 A coach that's patient.

6:37 Allow those guys to go into a situation where they can sit behind a a veteran,

6:41 learn from them, and then get out there

6:43 on the football field and lead the charge.

6:45 But in terms of traits and arm talent and and skill and football IQ,

6:49 these guys have what it takes.

6:51 Drew Allar has been sensational.

6:53 He didn't have always have the receiving core,

6:55 but he's been a very good quarterback at the college level.

6:58 I've seen him.

6:58 I mean, I His talent is unmistakable.

7:01 Now, we get it, right?

7:02 He wasn't as productive and when

7:04 you're not productive at the quarterback position,

7:06 you know, things change from year to year.

7:08 Here's what I will tell you.

7:09 Hold a clipboard for a year, maybe two.

7:11 Learn from a great one.

7:13 Be in a great system.

7:15 And and I think you've got a guy with incredible talent

7:18 that could really pay off for you in a few years.

7:20 Meantime, we saw Carson Beck thrive at two different stops, Georgia and Miami.

7:25 Now, he's hoping to get that success to carry over to Sundays, Kevin.

7:30 When we talk about quarterbacks, you know, you want someone who's battle-tested.

7:34 And look, Carson Beck has played a lot of football.

7:36 And he's made some pretty significant mistakes,

7:39 but he's also played some magnificent football.

7:42 I mean, he has threaded the needle.

7:43 He has thrown for thousands of yards and touchdowns.

7:47 And he has been on championship-caliber environments and rosters.

7:51 So, this is someone that when you talk about bringing someone to the fight,

7:55 the stage not being too big for them,

7:57 the game not being too big, this is what you look for.

8:00 This is someone who's been in that big in those big moments and maybe

8:03 hasn't shown up the way that you want him to at the very end,

8:07 but I like the way that he transferred,

8:09 picked himself up after Georgia cuz they ran him out of town.

8:12 And then he went to Miami and picked up the pieces and had a sensational season.

8:16 And you know, played within the framework of what the team was able to provide.

8:20 I mean, if Carson Beck gets you to a championship game on the NFL level,

8:24 I mean, to me, that's a successful, you know, season in the NFL on any level.

8:29 But Carson Beck to me is a guy that can get it done.

8:31 But man, it's going to take the perseverance of getting back up

8:35 and getting to the fight because the NFL is volatile just like college.

8:40 You could have a different offensive coordinator from year to year.

8:42 You never know.

8:43 Look, if we were going back and talking about Carson Beck after the 2023 season,

8:47 we'd be talking about him being a top five draft pick.

8:49 He was that good.

8:50 And obviously, he had the the woes of 2024.

8:52 But like you said, picked up the pieces in 25, came back,

8:55 showed that he can be a leader,

8:57 showed that he can take a team to a championship.

8:59 He has all the traits.

9:00 Like I said, I love quarterbacks that have been through adversity,

9:03 that are battle-tested, and that still show up.

9:05 That's Carson Beck.

9:06 I think he's going to be one of those guys that on day

9:09 two or three that's going to make a franchise very happy.

9:12 And you can plug and play because he's been in football a long time.

9:15 We've seen a large sample size.

9:17 And [clears throat] he's an older guy.

9:18 We know this day and age that helps.

9:20 Okay.

9:20 One of the most polarizing quarterback prospects, Diego Pavia,

9:24 he's had a remarkably productive college career at Vanderbilt,

9:28 totaling 119 touchdowns [music] since 2022.

9:31 That's the most in the country in that span.

9:34 But will his game translate, coach?

9:37 I mean, he's gritty, he's tough, he's a competitor.

9:40 I mean, all of those things I've seen this translate.

9:42 I had a quarterback at Cincinnati, Zach Collaros, same size.

9:46 He won multiple Grey Cups in Canada.

9:48 I know this is Canada in the NFL, but he can translate that.

9:52 Now, it's got to be the right system.

9:53 It's got to be the right place.

9:54 Heck, he's He's more tattoos than any quarterback

9:56 I've ever That's That's got to have some cred.

9:59 NFL street cred.

10:01 But he's just a winner.

10:02 He's a gamer and if he's on your team,

10:04 he's going to make you think like, well, maybe this guy can do it.

10:08 I know you love him, Kevin.

10:10 I love him because I love the toughness

10:11 and the grit and and I and and and and give

10:13 me a quarterback that has that kind of confidence

10:15 in himself that he can rally others to his cause.

10:18 Talk about galvanizing and leading a team.

10:21 You know, every quarterback isn't going to come

10:23 from a situation where they're surrounded by five stars.

10:25 Sometimes you're going to have that adversity

10:27 of a situation where you're not supposed to win.

10:30 You're not picked to win and in the NFL,

10:32 that could be every Sunday depending on how

10:34 your organization has been faring in recent years.

10:37 And look, if you're a top pick or if you're a bottom pick,

10:40 it's any given Sunday.

10:41 You could go to a horrible situation and next thing you know,

10:44 the first quarterback is hurt and you're thrust into the game.

10:47 Diego Pavia is ready for that moment.

10:50 He is He He wants that moment.

10:51 He wants that smoke and you have to give him

10:54 credit in terms of having that type of mental toughness.

10:57 I think it'll pay off for him.