The 2025 NFL Draft is not good news for the quarterback class. So far, only five quarterbacks have been picked in two days, while the other quarterback prospects ranked initially as top 10, Round 2, or Round 3 prospects are yet to go off the board. One of them is Kyle McCord, whose shortcomings are partly to blame for his draft stock slide.
Despite being one of the most electric signal-callers and a top 10 quarterback in the 2025 class heading into Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, McCord’s most significant limitations are probably putting off the NFL teams from drafting him in the early rounds.
What Led Kyle McCord To Fall to Day 3 of 2025 NFL Draft?
McCord’s transfer to Syracuse flipped his collegiate trajectory for good, establishing him as one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC. After an up-and-down 2023 season starting for Ohio State, McCord’s shift to Syracuse brought out the best in him.
He broke the conference’s single-season passing record this past season. Over his four-year collegiate career, he’s played in 37 games, starting 25, and holds a 21-4 record as a starter.
However, his one fatal flaw, his lack of athleticism, stayed with him throughout that season and is now coming back to haunt him. McCord has a very limited mobility, hindering his ability to create plays outside of the pocket. He mostly sticks to the initial read based on the pre-snap look and struggles to adjust when that read is covered or when the defense shows something different after the snap.
He averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, forced only two missed tackles, and rarely had designed runs called for him. His arm strength was enough for most throws at the college level, but it is not at the starting role level in pro-style offenses due to the lack of high-end velocity.
That said, the quarterback has an excellent football IQ to make good decisions and handle the ball well. He is levelheaded under pressure, earning a 74.3 pressured-passing grade against Power Four competition, the best in this class. To succeed at the NFL level, McCord will need his football processing skills to be razor sharp and work on improving his physical tools to make plays outside the pocket.
Heading into Day 3, there are still a few teams on the lookout to bulk up their quarterback room, and potentially find a long-term franchise quarterback whom they can develop over a few years.
McCord will most likely have his name off the board on Day 3. With that, he would become the first Syracuse quarterback drafted since Ryan Nassib in 2013.
