NFL Draft 2025: Kyle McCord shines at Syracuse Pro Day, has he solidified his status as a Day 2 pick?

SYRACUSE -- It's been 15 months since Kyle McCord transferred from Ohio State, and in that time he's gone from afterthought in Columbus to the most important player in Syracuse's 10-win season under first-year head coach Fran Brown.

On Monday, the Orange held its pro day and McCord, who set the ACC passing record with 4,779 yards last season (to go along with 34 touchdowns), picked up right where he left off in the fall. His throws were crisp, accurate, and often thrown with anticipation. And while every quarterback drafted can make "every NFL throw," McCord shines on intermediate routes, when he can fit the ball into a small window, and also has the touch to consistently layer balls over second-level defenders.

It's always dangerous to put too much stock into a pro-day performance; we saw that back in 2014 with Johnny Manziel, and more recently with Zach Wilson. But McCord just reconfirmed what we all saw in 2024 -- that sometimes, players need a change of scenery to get the most out of their abilities. And for McCord, that was leaving Columbus for Syracuse, where he was the unquestioned No. 1 from Day 1, and he consistently reconfirmed his place atop the depth chart each week.

That said, there were some bumps in the road. Obviously, his 2023 season didn't go as he had planned, and it prompted his decision to transfer. There was also that game last fall, the five-interception performance on the road against Pittsburgh. Not surprisingly, McCord was asked about it by some NFL teams at the NFL Scouting Combine.

"I had a meeting and I walked in and right away I saw a clip from the Pitt game," McCord told CBS Sports at the combine. "I already knew the direction that meeting was going, but honestly, teams like to talk about it and looking back on it, obviously it wasn't a fun game, but I'm glad I went through it.

"You're going to have bad games and how do you respond? I feel like finishing out the year after that game, [me] and the team played tremendously down the stretch and so going through something tough like that, I think just creates a lot of adversity and prepares you for the next level."

McCord told CBS Sports at the Shrine Bowl that coming to Syracuse was "a leap of faith" -- and one that couldn't have worked out any better.

Not to overstate it, but at this stage of the process there are some similarities between McCord and Joe Burrow, who had to leave Ohio State for LSU to find playing time. I talked to Burrow at the combine back 2020 and asked him what was one of the biggest differences in his game once he arrived in Baton Rouge, and he explained that mentally he always knew what he wanted to do with the ball, but it wasn't until later in his college career that his body physically allowed him to do those things.

For McCord, the past two seasons couldn't be more dissimilar.

"I started working with [QB coach] Jordan Palmer around this time last year going into my year at Syracuse," McCord said at the combine. "And so now it's just how can I continue to stay on that trajectory. I think that's just being as efficient as possible, my throwing mechanics and pocket movement, extending plays, all that. So just focusing on all those areas, kind of nerding out on the details of it."

Coming into the season, McCord was likely a priority free agent, or best case, a late Day 3 pick. After his 2024 campaign, coupled with a solid week at the Shrine Bowl, good interviews and workouts at the Senior Bowl, and a stellar pro day, he's a Day 2 pick all day long for me. In fact, he's my QB4 behind Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart. I know some NFL teams still view him as an early Day 3 selection, but he has the size, smarts and arm strength to play at a high level in the NFL.

And more than the physical and mental tools, when it comes to quarterback it's all about fit. Just look at Jayden Daniels in Washington and Bo Nix in Denver. Or looking beyond Round 1 (well beyond, in this case), Brock Purdy in San Francisco. That's why I love the idea of McCord with the Rams, where he can learn from Sean McVay and behind Matthew Stafford for a season or two. Or in Miami, where Zach Wilson is the lone backup currently behind Tua Tagovailoa.

Kyle McCord NFL Draft 2025 profile: Full scouting report, pro comparison, landing spots, future outlook, more

Dave Richard

Gadsden II, Allen also had good days

Tight end Oronde Gadsden II has the NFL bloodlines -- his dad played six NFL seasons with the Dolphins, finishing with 227 receptions for 3,252 yards and 22 touchdowns -- and he flashed that during his Syracuse career, and again at Monday's pro day. He lined up all over the formation for the Orange -- 40% of the time as an inline tight end, 10% of the time as an outside receiver and the other 50% of the time in the slot -- and at 6-foot-4, 243 pounds, that size and athleticism will serve him well in the NFL.

Gadsden didn't run at the combine, but he assuaged any concerns about his speed with a 4.65-second 40-yard time at the pro day. And while he'll never be confused with, say, Evan Engram, that's also not Gadsden II's game; he's an athletic, big-catch-radius downfield target who doesn't win with separation but with physicality, contested-catch ability and toughness. Some teams may view him as a tweener -- not a traditional tight end but also something more than a big slot. With as NFL passing games evolve, and skill-position players are asked to do more, talents like Gadsden will be in demand.

I'm higher on Gadsden than some NFL teams, but he's my TE7, which is where I've had him for much of the pre-draft process. His pro day and 40 time, for me, just reinforce his game tape.

Running back LeQuint Allen didn't run during the pre-draft process -- that includes the pro day -- and that will undoubtedly raise questions about how fast he is. But he played plenty fast, will still be just 20 years old when he's drafted, and in addition to being a really good pure runner, he also excels as a receiver out of the backfield and blocks as well as any back in this class. His route-running ability and soft hands were on display at the pro day, where he didn't drop a single pass.

Allen is my RB7 and given his age, as well as his pass-catching and blocking ability, I'd feel comfortable taking him on Day 2.