Then again, raw talent was never an issue for Beck.
Within the condo where his parents sleep, there is something oddly inconspicuous about the place. There is no shrine to the son, no tribute to his football glory. Instead, Beck's parents simply spread the word about their oldest of three children through years of stories.
The stories begin from when he was only a few months old, when his parents remember him grabbing his empty bottle, hurling it toward the front of their church, and clocking an older man in the head. They continue when he was 2, when he could toss a perfect spiral with a Nerf football.
And they continue throughout his life, until the undersized athlete finally grew into someone his father believes will eventually be known as one of the 2007 draft's best-kept secrets.
''John loves football more than anything else,'' his father says proudly. ``Always has.''
It was this long, involved love for football that led Beck to begin reading nearly every sports biography he could find. Everyone from Patriots coach Bill Belichick to Bucs coach Jon Gruden to Ravens coach Brian Billick -- if they wrote it, he has read it.
''I really got into books on leadership and books on the game,'' Beck said. ``In those books, a lot of coaches share a view on how they want a player to perform. It would teach me how others became great, so hopefully I can someday do the same.''
Beck has always had an appreciation for the players and coaches who have come before him. That's why he was especially excited when -- a few days after being drafted -- one of the first calls he received from the organization came from one of the Dolphins' most successful quarterbacks.
Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese called with a simple message: Enjoy the ride.
''He's as old-school as they come,'' Wendell Beck said. ``Talk to him about the history of the game, and he'll keep you going for hours. So we thought it was pretty neat when Bob Griese was one of the first to call.''
Those are the aspects of life that truly excite Beck -- the things that make him want to excel. It's the reason he signs autographs for anyone who asks. It's the reason he has been known to pull children aside randomly for a quick game of catch on Brigham Young's campus.
