Hurricanes star quarterback Carson Beck is days away from leading his team into its first national title game since 2003.

But what does the signal-caller’s future hold?

ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Beck as the No. 6 quarterback in his latest positional rankings. On ESPN’s “Get Up” on Wednesday, he said the veteran quarterback needs to cut back on his interceptions and may end up being a career NFL backup.

“This is a guy who has to cut down on those interceptions, 23 interceptions over the last two years,” Kiper said. “But this past season, this year, (was his) best year overall when you look back at Georgia. What he was this season, best year overall for Carson Beck. He’s a guy I think could be a career backup in the NFL. I’d say late Day 2, early Day 3 for him.”

Kiper said a strong performance in Monday’s national title game could push Beck into the No. 4 or 5 spot, behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss. Kiper said Beck is in the mix with Penn State’s Drew Allar and LSU’s Garret Nussmeier.

Beck has 3,581 passing yards this season, which is 10th in the nation. He has thrown 29 touchdowns, which is tied for eighth in the country, and has 11 interceptions, which is tied for fifth-most in the nation. Beck has a 73.3 completion percentage, which is second-best nationally.

Beck has played well during the Hurricanes’ playoff run. He has completed 67.5 percent of his passes and thrown for 509 yards and four touchdowns with one interception (which was on a tipped pass against Ole Miss). He also ran in the game-scoring touchdown that secured Miami’s spot in the national title. Before scoring the touchdown, he was 6-for-11 on the game-winning drive and converted two key third downs.

Miami’s coaches and players have credited Beck for doing more than just performing in the passing game. After the Hurricanes relied on the running game to beat Texas A&M in the first round of the playoffs, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said Beck was the one who recommended leaning on the run game.

“Mentally, he’s as good as any guy I’ve been around,” center James Brockermeyer said. “He’s super intelligent. He knows all the checks to make. He understands protections at a high level, which is something that not every quarterback is always just super dialed into the level he is. It’s just been really fun to be a part of.

“He takes so much pride in making sure everything is pointed correctly in the run game, everything on top of that. He takes complete ownership of the entire offense, not just from a passing-the-ball perspective. He’s just awesome to be around. He’s a great leader for us.”