It’s not every NFL draft that you see a college quarterback in a Power Four conference throw for nearly 4,800 yards at a 66-percent completion percentage with 34 touchdowns not get first-round billing. But that’s exactly where we are with Syracuse QB Kyle McCord. He was a force for the Orange in 2024, leading them to a 10-3 record, a Holiday Bowl win over Washington State, and the 20th spot in the final AP rankings. And the Pittsburgh Steelers brought him in for a pre-draft visit on Monday.
Yet you won’t hear Kyle McCord’s name being tossed around with those like Miami (FL) QB Cam Ward, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, or even Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart. For former NFL head coach Jay Gruden, that’s because McCord doesn’t really have any standout physical talents.
“I don’t like the way the ball comes out of his hands, I feel like he shot puts a little too much,” Gruden said during of McCord on Clean Pocket earlier this month. “I don’t think he’s a very good athlete. He’s a very average arm talent, very average. The ball does not feel like it comes out of there very good at all down the field. With a great opportunity, maybe he’ll make the best of it. But I see him as a late-round prospect, a backup-type guy. And then he’ll have to take advantage of the minimal reps he gets in training camp in order to make the football team.”
McCord is almost a paradox when throwing the deep ball. When I looked at college quarterbacks linked to the Steelers, McCord was one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the country in terms of completion percentage and adjusted completion percentage. He completed 51.4 percent of his passing attempts 20+ yards downfield. And when you factor in drops, his completion percentage jumped to 54.2 percent. Both numbers were eighth-best in the country for quarterbacks attempting at least 100 passes in 2024.
But both Gruden and Steelers Depot’s Tom Mead see issues when it came to McCord’s arm strength. It’s not that he doesn’t have any strength at all. Those completion percentages certainly demonstrate he can get the ball down the field. However, when Mead scouted McCord, he saw an issue with arm strength relative to deep throws outside the numbers. It wasn’t enough to mean McCord couldn’t complete those passes, but NFL defenders might make more plays than college defenders do. And if offensive coordinator Arthur Smith wants to set up deep shots regularly to wide receivers George Pickens and DK Metcalf, that could become a problem, at least on out-breaking routes.
Both Gruden and Mead also question McCord’s athleticism. Mead saw McCord repeatedly struggle to outrun pass rushers when trying to escape the pocket. McCord definitely lacks the athleticism of fellow draft hopeful Alabama QB Jalen Milroe. When things break down, don’t expect McCord to make big plays on the ground like Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson or Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t things to like about Kyle McCord. Why else would the Steelers use one of their 30 pre-draft visits on him?
“Knew where to go with the football,” Gruden said about what he did like about McCord. “Was very decisive, which is important. When he saw it, he could read it and throw it. He was pretty accurate with the football.”
McCord has not shown the ability to be a superstar quarterback who can evade pressure and hit the backbreaking deep shot. What he has shown is poise in the pocket and the ability to throw the ball accurately and on time. That might be enough for the Steelers to take a shot on him later in the draft. At the very least, they want to see him up close and personal in Pittsburgh before the draft.
