The defending champs didn’t need to draft anyone at any fantasy football-relevant position. With studs at every position: Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, Dallas Goedert, and Grant Calcaterra (shout out Ryan), they were set there. That’s why they soaked up talent everywhere and took a backup quarterback in round six. Let’s cut the McCord and get this over with.
| Rd | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
| 1 | 31 | Jihaad Campbell | LB | Alabama |
| 2 | 64 | Andrew Mukuba | S | Texas |
| 4 | 111 | Ty Robinson | DT | Nebraska |
| 5 | 145 | Mac McWilliams | CB | UCF |
| 5 | 161 | Smael Mondon Jr. | LB | Georgia |
| 5 | 168 | Drew Kendall | C | Boston College |
| 6 | 181 | Kyle McCord | QB | Syracuse |
| 6 | 191 | Myles Hinton | OT | Michigan |
| 6 | 207 | Cameron Williams | OT | Texas |
| 6 | 209 | Antwaun Powell-Ryland | EDGE | Virginia Tech |
Round 6, Pick 181: Kyle McCord, Quarterback, Syracuse (6’3″, 218 lbs)
TALENT
Kyle McCord was the first quarterback I came across this season to raise a red flag: he had no individual game cutups on YouTube. Even random small college guys, if they are NFL-caliber, have cut-ups. There’s one strange addendum to this one: McCord has one cut up… his 10/24/24 meltdown against Pitt, wherein he had five interceptions. Given that he had four picks in his nine other games combined, I would say that a 5 5-interception game isn’t indicative of his overall oeuvre.
Unfortunately, I must work off a limited dataset here, since I can’t do my everyday tape watch. But, a quick perusal of Sports-Reference.com tells me that he was no slouch; McCord was tenth in Heisman voting in 2024, and led the NCAA in passing attempts, yards, and… picks. So, there’s that.
In the limited McCord tape I found, the top thing that impressed me was his ability to differentiate his touch on the football. He was exceptionally adept at feathering the ball to all levels, but could crank up the Jugs machine if necessary. He was also nicely accurate, though he rarely left the pocket, and didn’t face much pressure. In the Pitt game, he faced plenty of pressure and melted down. Ultimately, he needs to be protected and can turn in a marginally successful career as a sometimes starter in the Tyrod Taylor mold. However, he is more like Kirk Cousins as a player than anything else. He doesn’t have the juice of a starter, as he mainly produces within structure.
NFL Comparison: Kirk Cousins
Pre-Draft Grade: 4th Round
2025 OPPORTUNITY
Depth Chart:
QB1 Jalen Hurts
QB2 Tanner McKee
QB3 Kyle McCord
QB4 Dorian Thompson-Robinson
He’s third on the depth chart behind a perennial top-five MVP candidate. No thanks.
2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Kyle McCord in drafts is the easiest, no thank you, this side of a defense trying to stop a Tush Push.
