Rocco Becht
Penn State#282 overallDraft Movement
Down 34 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Rocco Becht is a 6'1", 210-pound quarterback who spent three seasons as Iowa State's starter before following head coach Matt Campbell to Penn State for his final college season in 2026. The son of former NFL tight end Anthony Becht, who was a first-round pick in 2000, Rocco brings legitimate football bloodlines and a highly polished feel for the game. He arrives at Penn State with 26 career wins as a starter, the most of any returning quarterback in college football entering the 2026 season, and 39 total career starts, making him one of the rarest types of underclassman prospects with 40-plus collegiate starts to his credit. Evaluators note that Becht is consistent in keeping his eyes down the field and can make tough throws with pressure in his face, though his physical tools fall short of the top names in the class. He grades among the better quarterback prospects in the class, described as a gunslinger who picks apart defenses with surgical precision and executes quick-rhythm, dink-and-dunk concepts with catch-and-throw wizardry. His career at Iowa State produced 9,274 passing yards, 64 passing touchdowns, and 19 rushing touchdowns, all ranking among the top figures in program history. His 2024 campaign was his best statistically, as he threw for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions, led Iowa State to 11 wins and the Big 12 Championship Game, and earned Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP honors with three touchdown passes against Miami. A 2025 season that was complicated by a labrum injury on his non-throwing shoulder and a separate AC sprain in his throwing shoulder resulted in a dip in production to 2,584 yards and 16 touchdowns, though he still completed 60.5 percent of his passes. Scouting reports noted Becht was not sacked against Iowa in 2025, showing good touch and overall decision-making in a conservative game script while extending his then-record 21-game touchdown pass streak. The central concern evaluators flag is his size and athletic profile; at
Strengths
- 26 career wins as a starter entering 2026, most of any returning FBS quarterback
- 9,274 career passing yards and 64 passing touchdowns, both second all-time in Iowa State history
- program-record 22-game consecutive touchdown pass streak
- 7 career fourth-quarter game-winning drives
- quick-rhythm accuracy and surgical short-to-intermediate touch
- ability to make tough throws with pressure in his face
- exceptional high-character profile and leadership praised by coaches and NFL evaluators
- experienced operating under center, from shotgun, and in RPO-heavy systems under coach Matt Campbell
Weaknesses
- Below-prototypical size at 6'1" and 210 pounds raises consistent questions from scouts
- completed just 59 percent of passes in 2024 despite heavy volume
- modest rushing production (338 yards in 2024, 116 yards in 2025) limits dual-threat upside
- labrum surgery on non-throwing shoulder and AC sprain in throwing shoulder in 2025 raise durability concerns
- production dipped in 2025 amid personnel losses (Higgins, Noel to NFL) and injury
- inconsistencies with ball placement must improve
NFL Comparison
Tanner Mordecai (similar late-round QB profile); Sean Clifford (experienced Big Ten QB with modest physical tools who carved out a late-round niche)
College Stats
2022: 3 games (redshirt), 7-of-13 passing, 65 yards; 2023: 13 games started, 231-of-367 passing (62.9%), 3,120 yards, 23 TD, school freshman records for completions, passing yards, and TDs; 2024: 14 games started, 3,505 yards, 25 TD, 9 INT, 338 rush yards, 8 rush TD, 59% completion rate, Big 12 Championship Game appearance; 2025: 12 games started, 205-of-339 passing (60.5%), 2,584 yards, 16 TD, 116 rush yards, 8 rush TD; Career totals: 9,274 passing yards, 64 TD passes, 19 rush TDs, 83 total touchdowns responsible for, 26-13 record as starter
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $2.61M on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Penn State's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
The college fantasy model projects 13.4 PPG (QB37), after 14.3 PPG across 12 games last year.
Portal: transferred from Iowa State to Penn State for 2026.
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Measurables
Awards & Honors
Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 2, 2025); Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP (2024); Honorable Mention All-Big 12 QB - Coaches (2024); Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top 25 (2024); Second-Team Freshman All-American - The Athletic (2023); Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2023); Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Week (Sept. 25, 2023); CSC Academic All-District (2023, 2024); Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2023); Academic All-Big 12 (2024, 2025); Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (multiple semesters 2022-2025); Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team (2023); Davey O'Brien Award Great 8 List (twice, 2023); consensus 3-to-4-star recruit; a top-60 quarterback recruit nationally