He was every bit as advertised in 2024
2024 was one of the best seasons of Syracuse Orange football since the turn of the century, featuring a roster full of great individual performers. Now that SU has put the bow on a great year with a Holiday Bowl victory, it’s time to start previewing the team’s NFL Draft prospects in what should be a loaded class.
Starting things off is the transfer pull that made a lot of people instant believers in Fran Brown: former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord, who officially declared for the Draft on Friday.
Total Stats (Regular Season + Bowl):
- 66.0% Completions (391/592)
- 4,779 Passing Yards – Led FBS
- 34 Passing Touchdowns / 12 Interceptions
- Three Rushing TDs
Best Performance: 12/27 vs Washington State – 24/34 Passing for 453 Yards & Five Touchdowns; 231.0 Passer Rating
Worst Performance: 10/24 at Pitt – 35/64 Passing for 321 Yards; Five Interceptions; 81.2 Passer Rating
PFF Grades, with ranking among FBS starters:
- 90.5 Total Offense (6th)
- 87.2 Passing (7th)
- 34 “Big Time Throws” (1st)
- 75.4 Adjusted Completion Percentage (23rd)
- 2.41 sec. Average Time to Throw (8th)
Strengths: Pure pocket passer with quick release. Arm can handle large volume of throws per game. Great deep ball and ability to hit targets in stride. Developed great chemistry with receivers, three of whom were among ACC Top-10 in yards.
Weaknesses:
Not much mobility compared to most NFL QBs. Occasional tendency to stare down primary read. Needs to keep developing progressions and coverage recognition to succeed at the highest level.
Highlights:
Where it all ranks historically:
McCord is the Syracuse all-time program leader for single-season completions, passing yards, passing TDs, and 300+ yard games. The first two marks are also all-time ACC records.
Draft Prediction:
Despite his remarkable campaign, McCord is not among the top tier of QB prospects this year. While the likes of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are locks for the 1st round, there is a significant falloff in interest between the pair and other quarterbacks in the draft.
McCord sits at 137 on PFF’s Big Board. NFL Draft Buzz projects him going in the 4th Round, while Dave Brugler of The Athletic puts him in the 3rd-to-6th Round range. Were it not for the Pitt debacle, I think he’d be higher, but as the pro-style offense is ironically becoming obsolete in the pros, Kyle still has a lot going against him.
The best bet for McCord is to end up with a squad where he can compete for QB reps but not instantly get thrust into being “the guy”. What do the Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, and Indianapolis Colts all have in common? A few things: they’re slotted too low to draft one of the two big names (none of the top four picks have any reason to trade down), they all have internal options who aren’t completely out the door but need competition, and they all play in Domes, which complement Kyle’s playstyle. I’d like to see one of them take a flyer on Day Three.