After three Miami Hurricanes were picked in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday, three of their teammates were selected in the third round on Friday night.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck was the first UM player off the board on Friday evening. He was the first pick of the third round, going to the Arizona Cardinals. Beck and last year’s No. 1 pick Cam Ward are the first UM quarterbacks drafted in back-to-back years since Craig Erickson and Gino Toretta were picked in the 1992 and 1993 drafts, respectively.
“He’s big, he’s tough, he’s strong, he stands strong in the pocket,” Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort told AZCentral. “Not afraid to take a hit in the pocket. He’s got good arm strength, he can drive the ball down the field. Good accuracy, good production. Those are all things that we liked.”
After spending most of his college career at Georgia — and winning two national titles as a backup quarterback — Beck transferred to Miami before the 2025 season. He rehabbed from elbow surgery, and he led UM to a 10-2 regular season record.
Beck led the Hurricanes to the first three College Football Playoff wins in program history. He helped Miami beat Texas A&M on the road in the first round, upset Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and secured the Hurricanes’ spot in the national title game with a game-winning touchdown against Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl. Miami eventually fell to Indiana in the championship game, and Beck threw the game-sealing interception.
Beck finished his one season at Miami with 3,813 passing yards and a 72.4 completion percentage; he had 30 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.
Ossenfort said that Beck’s experience in big games was part of why the team picked him.
“When you see a player who has had big-game experience, when you make this transition to the NFL, there’s more hope that it’s not gonna be too big for them,” Ossenfort said. “So it’s not gonna be a deer in the headlights.”
Markel Bell was the next Hurricane selected. The Philadelphia Eagles took him in the third round with the 68th pick, the fourth selection of the third round.
Bell, a 6-foot-9, 340-pound offensive tackle, spent two seasons at Miami after transferring from Holmes Community College in Mississippi.
The massive offensive lineman earned a spot on Miami’s offensive line in 2024, taking over for injured left tackle Jalen Rivers. He played well enough that when Rivers returned, the UM coaching staff moved Rivers to left guard so Bell could stay at left tackle.
Bell spent the 2025 season as the starting left tackle, and he had a strong season. Pro Football Focus gave Bell a 72.1 offensive grade. He had an 82.1 pass-blocking grade and did not allow a sack all season.
“I just worked my tail off every day,” Bell told the Philadelphia reporters. “I go against great players, and I have great coaches behind me. And I’m looking forward to doing the same thing in Philly.”
The final Miami player picked on Friday was Jakobe Thomas. The safety went to the Minnesota Vikings with the 98th pick, the third-to-last selection of the third round of the draft.
Thomas spent just one season with Miami after starting his career at Middle Tennessee State and transferring to Tennessee for the 2024 season. But in his one year with the Hurricanes, he became an integral part of UM’s defense.
Thomas had a strong 2025 season, racking up 76 tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and five interceptions. Two of those interceptions came in a win against N.C. State, and he returned one for a touchdown. Pro Football Focus gave him an 87 defensive grade.
Thomas was a second-team All-ACC selection, and he was named the Fiesta Bowl defensive MVP after making five tackles and deflecting two passes.
“I’m super blessed,” Thomas told Minnesota media members. “I just want everybody to know that you guys got somebody that’s ready to go at all moments and all times, who’s going to give his all in everything.”