As we do every offseason, we'll be comparing each of the Philadelphia Eagles' rookies to current or former NFL players. Today we'll find a comp for sixth-round quarterback Kyle McCord.
ROOKIE COMP SERIES
Jihaad Campbell | Cameron Williams | Andrew Mukuba
McCord was a big-time recruit coming out of high school, as he was named a top 50 prospect by the three major recruiting websites — ESPN (31st) Rivals (35th) and 24/7 (49th). He was even offered a scholarship to play at Boston College when he was in eighth grade.
He enrolled at Ohio State, but sat his first two seasons behind C.J. Stroud before becoming the starter his junior year in 2023. He had an inconsistent season, but still led the Buckeyes to an 11-0 record to start the season before losing to rival Michigan and missing out on a chance to go to the 2023 College Football Playoff. McCord soon after entered the transfer portal, before Ohio State played Missouri in the Cotton Bowl that season.
McCord would eventually reveal that he transferred because head coach Ryan Day would not assure him of a starting spot the following season. He landed at Syracuse, and in 2024, playing in a pass-happy system, he averaged 368 passing yards per game. He completed 391 of 592 passes for an FBS-leading 4779 yards, 34 TDs, and 12 INTs.
As a player, McCord is probably best known for his willingness to push the ball down the field. He finished his college career with an 8.6 yards per pass attempt average, and, I mean, you don't throw for almost 5,000 yards in a season without taking some risks. He has adequate size at 6'3, 218, and he can throw with some zip into the intermediate areas of the field.
On the downside, McCord isn't a threat as a runner, so he is going to spend most of his time in the pocket. He also has a bit of a windup in his delivery, which allows an extra split second for pass rushers to get home or defensive backs to make plays on the football.
Highlights:
The player McCord reminds me of is Sam Darnold.
Like McCord, Darnold enrolled at a major college program and was not the starter to begin each of his first two seasons. He eventually did start in his second season (which was actually his redshirt freshman season), and immediately made an impact, throwing 31 TDs vs. 9 INTs.
Darnold's and McCord's college stats are very similar. McCord's are actually a little better:
| QB | Comp-Att (Comp %) | Yards (YPA) | TD-INT | Rating |
| Kyle McCord (22-4 as a starter) | 661-998 (66.2%) | 8,555 (8.6) | 61-20 | 154.4 |
| Sam Darnold (20-4 as a starter) | 549-846 (64.9%) | 7,229 (8.5) | 57-22 | 153.7 |
They are both 6'3. Darnold weighed 3 pounds more at the Combine, and McCord's hand was 1/8" bigger.
They both also have many of the same attributes:
• Darnold can let it rip in the intermediate areas of the field, and he's not afraid to take chances down the field. Darnold finished fifth in the NFL in "average intended air yards" in 2024.
• Neither quarterback is going to scare anyone as runners.
• Both quarterbacks have been plagued by inconsistency, but both have also showed resilience. (McCord had a great season at Syracuse after leaving Ohio State. Darnold had a good season in Minnesota after it looked like he'd never be a starter again.)
• They have strikingly similar windups, or at least Darnold did at USC. See the video below and compare it with McCord's above.
Darnold was wildly overrated coming out of college, becoming the third overall pick of the 2018 draft, while McCord was probably a little underrated, having to wait until the sixth round to hear his name called.
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