Former GM Mike Tannenbaum lays out NFL blueprints for Carson Beck, Cade Klubnik

Coming out of the 2026 NFL Draft, a pair of ACC quarterbacks were taken in the middle rounds. Former Miami gunslinger Carson Beck went to the Arizona Cardinals in the third round, while former Clemson signal caller Cade Klubnik went to the New York Jets in the fourth.

Both could have a chance to make the roster. But nothing is guaranteed.

Former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum weighed in on the chances for both, given their journey into the NFL. He checked in with Andrea Adelson and David Hale on Inside ACCess to give the latest scoop.

An alternate narrative on Carson Beck?

The story of Carson Beck is one that has taken some turns. He appeared to be well on his way to completely revitalizing the narrative around him in his time at Miami, only to throw a costly interception that essentially decided the national championship game.

But Tannenbaum believes Beck might be in the best spot among the quarterbacks drafted. Even better than Indiana‘s Fernando Mendoza?

“I think of all the quarterbacks that were drafted, he has the best chance to start on opening day,” Tannenbaum said. “If you go back, I believe there was like 51 seconds to go, they were at the 40-yard line going in, and he threw the ball into double coverage to lose the national championship. If they win that game — that was a first-down throw — I think the whole narrative of Carson Beck would be significantly different.”

For one, it would have changed Carson Beck’s draft spot. How much?

“Maybe second, maybe bottom of the first round,” Tannenbaum said. “This improbable story, transferring from Georgia. Had ups and downs, gets into the CFP and wins the championship on the home field. That was well within, I mean, look, I’m not saying if that ball was incomplete they would have won, but they certainly had a non-zero chance of that happening.”

As for Carson Beck as a prospect, Tannenbaum sees a lot to like. Like most newly drafted prospects, there are some things to fix.

But get that done and Beck is a guy who can win games at the NFL level. Tannenbaum believes that.

“He can make all the throws. He has to clean up some things,” he said. “But if you’re a coach like Mike LeFleur, you’re looking at a decision like that, throwing the ball into double-coverage on first down, you can’t do that. But those are things that NFL coaches are going to say, ‘We can fix that.'”

Cade Klubnick looking to claw out roster spot

While Carson Beck has the narrative to battle, Cade Klubnik is trying to unlock his full potential. It’s always been there, but a subpar 2025 season relative to his talent left many wondering.

Not New York. The Jets traded up to get him in the fourth round.

“The old coach (Bill) Parcells sort of like he had this guiding principle from the fourth round down, which was when you draft a player they have to have a developable attribute,” Tannenbaum said. “When you look at Cade Klubnik, there’s a couple: size and athleticism.”

Tannenbaum sees a lot to work with, with Klubnik. Now that he’s away from Clemson, could he start to tap into something else?

“There’s a great expression: The tape sets the floor, the character sets the ceiling,” Tannenbaum said. “So he’s going to work hard. They’ll maximize whatever he can do. They’ve added Frank Reich to the staff. There’s a lot of tools to work with.”

So what does Klubnik have to do? Like Carson Beck, there will certainly be some doubters.

“He has to play more consistently, but he sort of paid that price by going in the fourth round,” Tannenbaum said. “If I was talking to him today, like, ‘Look, Cade, all that is ancient history. This is Day 1. And the great thing about the NFL is it’s the ultimate meritocracy. Just go play good, get better and find your way.’ The nice thing is, as a fourth-rounder, there’s not a lot of pressure on him.”