Former NFL QB has a clear verdict on Kyle McCord’s future at the pro level

Kyle McCord had a brilliant 2024 season at Syracuse, leading the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing yards. The quarterback transferred to the Orange following his time at Ohio State.

On Monday, Kurt Benkert offered a draft analysis of McCord after seeing his tape. The quarterback declared for the NFL draft in December and he's seen as one of the top options in his position. In his review, Benkert saw many positives in the signal-caller despite the ups and downs in his college career.

“I just broke down Kyle McCord’s tape and here’s what I thought,” Benkert began in a post on X. “There’s nothing flashy about his game, but he’s really clean, decisive and accurate.

“He really turned it on down the stretch of last season and showed that he could be a guy that can operate in an NFL offense, distribute the ball, and kill people with his arm. ... He’s also really accurate on outbreakers under 10 yards. I’d like to see him as a back up to someone like Joe Burrow that’s a distributor and a field general. Honestly, he’d be a good backup to Goff or Stafford too."

McCord completed 661 of 998 passes for 8,555 yards, 61 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in the college career. He finished tenth in the 2024 Heisman Trophy voting.

Kurt Benkert explains what Kyle McCord's role could look like in the NFL

Proceeding in his analysis on Monday, Kurt Benkert gave a hint on what role Kyle McCord can play early in his college career for a team that drafts him. He sees him starting as a backup in the league, playing some crucial offensive role off the bench with his arm.

"The thing I was most impressed with is his identifying coverage specifics (ie leverage, etc) and attacking accordingly by changing his throw type. He sees opportunities of when to take shots and what type of throws each one requires. Specifically, he’s very crafty in how he navigates choosing the type of throw a go ball takes or even post throws."

McCord is projected as a third to fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. However, there's a strong possibility that his draft stock could even rise further in the next couple of months. He already made a great impression in the East-West Shrine Bowl, and a lot could happen from there.