Kyle McCord, Syracuse: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
McCord was a five-star recruit from St. Joseph's Preparatory School, in Philadelphia, Pa. in the class of 2021
Kyle McCord set several Syracuse and ACC records during his final season. He possesses adequate physical tools across the board and plays well within rhythm, but he breaks down under pressure and makes poor decisions. McCord projects as an early Day 3 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Kyle McCord, QB Syracuse: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Senior quarterback from Mt. Laurel, N.J.
Background: McCord was a five-star recruit from St. Joseph's Preparatory School, in Philadelphia, Pa. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 28 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 35 (four-star) for Rivals, and No. 25 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 31st in the nation (four-star) with an 87 grade out of 100. McCord transferred from Ohio State to Syracuse for the 2024 season. In high school, he set city and league records for career passing yards with 6,887 and passing touchdowns with 88. During his time with St. Joseph's Prep, he helped the program win its third consecutive 6A State Championship, won the Philadelphia Catholic League MVP, and earned MaxPreps 2020 Pennsylvania All-State honors. As a junior, he passed for 2,399 yards and 31 touchdowns despite missing time with an injury. As a sophomore, McCord threw for 2,883 yards and 38 touchdowns. He was born on Sept. 19, 2002. McCord’s father, Derek, played quarterback for Rutgers from 1988-1992.
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed four games as a high school junior with an injury, wore a walking boot in the 2024 offseason for a left ankle injury from his time at Ohio State
Awards: 2023 Third Team All-Big Ten, 2024 Second Team All-ACC
Pros: Better height and weight combo than several QBs in the class, calm and repeatable footwork early in his drop, calm feet in a well-developed pocket, climbs the pocket to avoid outside rush, flashes of quick recognition and processing to transition between reads, uses head to look off defenders, shortens throwing motion to beat pressure, arm strength to hit enough NFL throws, gets ball out with nice timing and pop in quick game, enough velocity to paint tight windows 20 yards downfield, some frozen ropes, tight spirals, takes some velocity off ball to throw catch-able passes at short to intermediate level, much improved anticipation from 2023 to 2024, leaders his receivers away from big hits, leads receivers to space over MOF, pinpoint accuracy on tight MOF throws vs. man coverage against Cal (2024), complete control over MOF, recognition of cornerback blind spots for back shoulder throws, nice air under fades, throws a very catch-able deep ball, willing to run and put his body on the line
Cons: Gets rattled and makes compounding bad decisions, slight loop slows down throwing motion, overstriding leads to missed throws, arm is good but not elite, lack of high end arm strength shows up on underthrown fades, some real confusing decision-making, tests disadvantageous throwing windows, some panic when the play breaks down, inconsistent awareness of backside pressure, poise under pressure, drifts while throwing when sensing pressure, forces throws under pressure, some wild throws while fading away when sensing pressure, needs to throw ball far away when under heavy pressure instead of in-play, sometimes refuses to leave his first read and stares down, eyes tip off DBs and lead to jumped routes, some double-clutching, cone of vision narrows and doesn’t always reveal lurking threats, occasionally misses linebacker dropping into throwing lane, leaves some intermediate outs short, some throws outside the numbers sail on him, leaves fades too far inside, needs to lead receivers a bit more on fades, lacks the level of mobility to be highly creative or threatening with legs, lacks speed to escape OLBs, struggles to reset base and bring hips around for throws on the move, must learn to slide
Overview: McCord’s footwork is calm and well-repped in his drop and in clean pockets. He climbs the pocket to avoid outside rushers and step into throws. His throwing motion includes a slight loop that slows it down, and he occasionally overstrides, leading to inaccurate throws. McCord’s arm checks a lot of boxes but is far from a top tier option. His lack of elite arm strength shows up on underthrown fades. The Ohio State transfer goes through streaks of impressive processing and quick transitions between his reads. However, he gets rattled when things start to go wrong. When he makes one bad mistake, another isn’t too far away. He makes head-scratching decisions but doesn’t have the same physically redeeming qualities as Cameron Ward or Tyler Shough. McCord shortens his throwing motion to get the ball out in the face of pressure but tends to panic when the play breaks down. He fades away, fails to reset his feet, or awkwardly drifts when he begins to sense pressure. His poise under pressure is disappointing. He forces some wild throws in between the hashes or into tight windows while under pressure instead of just throwing the ball away. McCord gets the ball out with nice timing and pop in the quick game, which could serve as his introduction to the NFL. He puts enough velocity on his throws to hit tight windows 20-30 yards downfield and make opposite hash throws. The N.J. native takes some of that juice off his passes to give his receivers more catch-able looks at the short to intermediate levels. McCord looks off defenders, and his anticipation took a massive leap from 2023 to 2024. He flashes releasing the ball before targets even turn around. McCord maximizes his receivers’ leverage by leading them to space and protecting them from big hits. He’s a wizard working the middle of the field, displaying some pinpoint throws. Those middle of the field timing routes are his most consistent throws. The All-ACC selection gets stuck on his first read and tips off defenders with his eyes. His vision misses the occasional dropping linebacker or third level defender breaking into a second level throwing lane. McCord’s accuracy drops outside the numbers. He puts some intermediate outs in the dirt, leaves fades too far inside, and sails some corners. He puts nice air under these throws but lacks full control of that area of the field. McCord puts his body on the line as a runner but lacks the mobility to create with his legs. He struggles to reset and bring his hips around for throws on the move.
Overall, McCord succeeded at challenging defenses vertically in 2024, but a horizontal stretching offense with significant quick game usage would be his ideal introduction to the NFL as it limits his chances for mistakes and protects his confidence as he adapts to the pro game. He has enough technical polish, velocity, and control of the football to provide a floor as a quality backup.
Role & Scheme Fit: Horizontal stretching offense with heavy quick game usage
Round Grade: Mid Fourth Round
Size: 6'3", 218 lbs. (NFL Combine)
Submitted: 01-10-25