Kyle McCord tops analyst's hidden gems list for 2025 NFL draft

NFL: Combine - Source: Imagn — NFL: Combine Kyle McCord - Source: Imagn

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord is not expected to be a top pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but that does not mean he is not valued by many of those draft experts. After leaving Ohio State after the 2023 season, he went to Syracuse and had a stellar season, completing 391 of 592 passing attempts for 4779 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Before the start of the season, McCord was viewed as someone who could be drafted in the late rounds, but more than likely would be a priority free agent after the draft. However, after his incredible season at Syracuse, he is likely to be drafted on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL draft.

On Tuesday, CBS Sports did a segment with draft analyst Ryan Wilson, who spoke about why he had McCord at the top of his list of hidden gems.

"We haven't been talking a lot about him," Wilson said (1:15). "You talked about it there, we saw in the graphic, he broke the ACC single-season passing record. Went from Ohio State, where he was under the gun a lot, and that's part of the reason he left. Didn't get the team where it needed to be. Went to Syracuse, new coach Fran Brown let him sling it around the yard.

"He went probably from a priority free agent to almost certainly a day two guy. It'll be interesting to see how high he goes."

Kyle McCord is a top 10 QB heading into the 2025 NFL draft

Before the 2024 college football season, not many pundits projected Kyle McCord as one of the top QBs in the upcoming draft. However, after his stellar season, he has risen high on many draft boards. According to CBS Sports' draft rankings, McCord is the No. 108-ranked player in the draft and No. 7-ranked QB.

McCord only ranks behind Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, Will Howard and Quinn Ewers on CBS Sports' QB rankings.

It will be interesting to see how high McCord goes in the draft. Last season, six QBs were taken in the first round. This year, only two are projected to go that high.

So, while McCord is the No. 108-ranked player in the draft, if a few teams are interested in drafting QBs, McCord could get selected much earlier than many are expecting. Based on his current ranking, he would be a fourth-round draft pick.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

Know More

Syracuse Orange Fans? Check out the latest Syracuse depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Edited by Krutik Jain