Starting his collegiate career at Ohio State, quarterback Kyle McCord later switched and took his services over to Syracuse. The swap wound up building up his playing resume a little more, allowing him to throw his name into the NFL Draft player pool to potentially take his career to another level.
Height: 6 ft – 3 in
Weight: 220 lb
Age: 22
Position: Quarterback
College: Syracuse
College Career Summary:
As a freshman at Ohio State, McCord wasn’t able to see the playing field much, mostly because he was currently operating behind C.J. Stroud, the now-considered superstar of the Houston Texans. Once he entered the NFL Draft, McCord was able to compete with Devin Brown throughout training camp to potentially be Stroud’s successor in 2023. He won that competition and started the season, later getting named to the Third-Team All-Big Ten squad thanks to him throwing over 3,000 passing yards and 24 touchdowns compared to only six interceptions. Then, he hit the transfer portal and took the starting quarterback job over at Syracuse. He led the team to a 10-3 record, throwing nearly 5,000 yards and 34 touchdowns compared to only 12 interceptions. He had career highs in passing attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, interceptions, and rush attempts. He was named to the Second-Team All-ACC squad for his efforts.
2024 Season
Games Played: 13
Yards: 4,779 passing, -65 rushing
Touchdowns: 34 passing, three rushing
Career Stats:
- 26 games started
- 8,555 passing yards
- 64 total touchdowns
- 111 rush attempts
- 998 pass attempts
Passing/Rushing/Receiving/Defensive Metrics:
- -1.3 yards per carry throughout his career
- 6 yards per completion throughout his career
- 20 interceptions across his career
Strengths:
- Natural leader who has commanded respect in two strong programs
- Fantastic anticipation on timing routes
- Sound decisions routinely when in the red zone
- Excellent looking deep ball accuracy and touch
- Lightning quick release to partner with sound mechanics
- Advanced pre-snap recognition
Weaknesses:
- Limited athleticism hurts the ability to improvise
- Can get caught staring at his first option
- Heavy pressure will throw off his mechanics
- Might get too aggressive at times
High Pressure Situations/Clutch Gene:
One of the best examples of Kyle McCord taking advantage of the moment came this season, when Syracuse took on WSU in the DirectTV Holiday Bowl. He helped the team win this game 52-35, completing over 70 percent of his passes for 453 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. This was a near-flawless game from the signal caller who didn’t even flinch when thrown onto a bigger stage. This is the same quarterback that beat a sixth-ranked Miami squad 42-38 thanks to McCord throwing 380 yards and three touchdowns without an interception just a few weeks earlier. However, not every big game resulted in a strong showing from McCord, as one particular matchup really hurts the eyes. When he faced off against the 19th-ranked Pittsburgh squad in 2024, McCord and Syracuse lost 41-13. He completed 35 of his 64 pass attempts for 321 yards, zero touchdowns, and five interceptions. He did add a rushing touchdown, though the game was so poor that it really doesn’t matter. Outside of that horrid performance against a ranked team, McCord has usually played well in high-pressure situations thanks to his natural leadership.
NFL Projection And Fantasy Relevance:
Kyle McCord is one of those quarterbacks who is sneakily moving himself up the draft boards of a lot of NFL teams. Throughout the entire pre-draft process, nothing but good things have been coming out regarding McCord. He’s not exactly projected to become a first-round draft pick, and he might not go in the second either, but there’s a chance we see him get nabbed at some point in the third round. This isn’t exactly a strong quarterback class either, giving McCord another leg-up when it comes to his chances of succeeding at the next level. Now, in terms of fantasy football, he’s certainly worth a pickup in any type of dynasty league. I don’t see him becoming a starter as a rookie, likely taking a backup role for the upcoming season. This means that he might not be worth a late-round selection in one-year leagues, but dynasty leagues should take a closer look at him ahead of the draft. He has the potential to eventually become a starter at the NFL level, mostly thanks to his fundamentals. However, it should also be noted that he played at both Ohio State and Syracuse, two very respected schools, and he didn’t get pushed around at either. He remained strong and led both rosters, which is a wonderful trait that NFL teams will want to take advantage of, especially if they are still looking for a future franchise quarterback.
I don’t think that Kyle McCord is the best quarterback in this class, nor do I believe that he is deserving of being a first-round pick. With that said, I don’t think he’s a signal caller who deserves to see his draft stock fall into the fifth, sixth, or even seventh round. He should be drafted around the third or fourth round by an NFL team that is looking to find a project quarterback to develop over the course of his rookie season. The fundamentals, accuracy, and arm talent pop off the film when you watch McCord play football, but there are worries regarding his lack of athleticism. He can’t just improvise left and right like many quarterbacks these days can, with Jayden Daniels being a great example. He also struggles when facing pressure in his face, and that won’t fair well at the NFL level with the talent on the defensive line these days. We have seen several different quarterbacks that appear similar to McCord, with many NFL comparisons listing him as a similar player to Kirk Cousins, and that seems fair right now. The fundamentals are there, the leadership and the respect are there, but there’s something that’s missing. Perhaps it’s that athleticism, perhaps it’s that unspoken “it” factor that he doesn’t have, who knows. McCord isn’t the perfect quarterback in the draft, far from it, and yet he can still be an impact player in the NFL under the right circumstances.