Cardinals hosting pair of QB prospects for top 30 visits, per reports

The Arizona Cardinals have reportedly scheduled top 30 visits with quarterback prospects Ty Simpson and Carson Beck.

Mar 31, 2026, 11:03 AM Updated: 11:11 am

Watch: Why Jacoby Brissett is the clear QB1 for the Arizona Cardinals | 10 mins

The Arizona Cardinals have scheduled top 30 visits with quarterback prospects Ty Simpson and Carson Beck, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.

Rapoport adds Simpson also has top 30 visits with the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns. He already completed a private workout with the New York Jets.

Beck, meanwhile, has additional pre-draft visits scheduled with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami. He met and had dinner with the Jets ahead of the Hurricanes’ pro day last week, Garafolo adds.

This will mark the second time Simpson has met with the Cardinals this draft cycle after initially sitting down with the team at the NFL Draft Combine. He spoke glowingly of the interaction, telling reporters he would love to be a Cardinal.

“A good dude. You get 18 minutes (in the combine meeting). You need about 18 hours like 18 days in a row,” Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said at the NFL owners meeting on Monday. “It was a good 18 minutes just getting to know him. It’s very surface level.

“These guys aren’t dummies, either. You throw on five plays and they know the five plays. … But really impressed with him as a person and we’ll see where he goes.”

Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur on Alabama QB Ty Simpson and their NFL Combine interview that left the signal caller saying he would “love to be a Cardinal” ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/dtA0qGuVAo

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) March 30, 2026

The chatter around Simpson has only increased in recent weeks, with ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky shouting from the mountain tops that the signal caller is the top QB prospect in the 2026 draft class instead of expected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

Then there are the mock drafts, where ESPN’s Field Yates and Mel Kiper Jr. have Simpson well inside the first round. NFL.com’s Charles Davis took it a step further and linked the quarterback to Arizona’s No. 3 overall pick, albeit with an asterisk.

Not everyone is jumping on the first-round train for Simpson, however, with NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah marrying Simpson to the Jets with the No. 34 overall pick on Day 2.

Simpson is coming off a career year with 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns to five interceptions on 64.5% throwing.

The big question mark surrounding Simpson centers around his starting experience behind just 15 starts across four seasons at Alabama.

His lone season at the helm was uneven, too, with 20 of Simpson’s scores coming across the first eight games of the year.

The final seven-game stretch, which included a run to the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, was far different with just eight touchdowns to four picks.

Still, Simpson is expected to be the second quarterback off the board. Whether that’s during Day 1 or Day 2 is anyone’s guess.

Beck, on the other hand, has plenty of experience to fall back on after six seasons and three as a starter between Georgia (2023-24) and Miami (2025).

In his lone season at Miami, Beck completed an ACC-leading 72.4% of his throws for 3,813 yards and 30 touchdowns to 12 interceptions as he helped lead the Hurricanes to the national championship game.

He has the pocket presence but putting it all together on a more consistent basis is going to be key for Beck at the next level.

He likely won’t require the type of draft capital it would take to nab Simpson, either.

ESPN analyst Matt Miller’s latest mock draft has the Cardinals picking Beck with a third-round pick at No. 65 overall.

As it stands Tuesday, the Cardinals QBs room is highlighted by expected 2026 starter Jacoby Brissett and new addition Gardner Minshew. Kedon Slovis is also on the roster.

Opting to take a flier with a rookie quarterback this draft isn’t off the table, though. Arizona is desperately in need of a new franchise signal caller following Kyler Murray’s departure this offseason.

And while the 2027 draft class figures to include plenty of top quarterback prospects, having an extra swing at the QB plate a year earlier could be the difference maker.

Tyler Drake Cardinals reporter and ArizonaSports.com editor

Born and raised in Kelseyville, California, I spent most of my summers growing up in Arizona. There were a lot of trips to Globe and the East Valley. Once out of high school, I attended the University of Arizona with a major in natural resources… Read more

Comments

knowit all 4 months ago

It has taken a while, but I finally learned no0t to click on the comments of any of these draft "experts". But, AZ Sports apparently is infatuated with them.

Sarka Scarpulla 4 months ago

Blow a 3rd rounder on a guy who won't play next year, and likely the backup or stay the #3 to Minshew the 2nd year after you draft a #1? Makes perfect sense to me. Just burn picks.... Now as a 4th or 5th? Yeah, I could see that. A 3rd rounder is a depth pick, developing into a starter by year 2 or 3 for 3-5 years. Beck ain't that. At best, he's a bridge guy until you find a true #1. After 6 years in college, he is what he is. He has a high floor, but you can see the ceiling from here. And as a long term viable starter, he ain't it.

D C 4 months ago

Hard "NO" on both taking Ty Simpson before the 4th round, and especially taking Carson Beck in any round. Beck has shown way too many times, whose game can be seriously rattled by pressure, which in the NFL, is like Blood in the Water for Sharks.

This is Lying Season in the NFL, which is especially true regarding QBs. When I read articles like this, my first thought is how much the writer got for publishing it, and more importantly, who paid him.

I totally agree Arizona needs help on the offensive line, but the important caveat is that there isn't anyone who is head-and-shoulders above the rest, so taking one at No. 3, really would be overpaying. The consensus is that there's a Dozen or so who will be available in the 1st 3 rounds who they can choose. I want to see Arizona take Rueben Bains, Miami, whose tape is better than EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS DRAFT, the bonus being his tape includes him going up against a ton of blue chippers in his last 2 years. A big guy with his tape, and a motor that doesn't quit or take plays off, is the kind of player Arizona can build their defense around. Walter Nolen fits perfectly with Bains and would give the Arizona the foundation of a elite Defensive Line, which combo likely also makes Darius Robinson even more effective.

Cardinals hosting pair of QB prospects for top 30 visits, per reports

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