QB Guru Backs Syracuse Orange’s Kyle McCord as Biggest Surprise of 2025 Draft Class: “Going to Start for a Long Time in the League”

The 2025 NFL Draft QB class has earmarked Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward as top prospects. However, there is also a prevalent narrative that this year’s QB class is relatively weak, making it easy to understand why an under-the-radar prospect like Kyle McCord has yet to receive his due credit. According to veteran QB consultant Jordan Palmer, overlooking McCord’s talent could be a big mistake.

Palmer recently appeared on The Rich Eisen Show where he shared his belief that the ex-Ohio State star could be the biggest sleeper of this Draft class.

Having worked as a consultant for most of the last decade while playing as an NFL QB himself, Palmer has extensive experience assessing top talent at the position. He wholeheartedly believes that McCord has all the tools in his arsenal to not only make it big in the NFL but also leave a lasting legacy.

“This dude’s going to start for a long time in the league. This isn’t a guy who could be really good if he gets better—he already has it. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’m telling you, this guy is going to play, and he’s going to start,” said Palmer.

Palmer admitted that the 22-year-old’s film footage didn’t initially inspire confidence. This might have made someone like Chad Reuter, the NFL Network’s veteran Draft Analyst, to project McCord as the 90th pick to the Los Angeles Rams.

However, where the Syracuse QB truly shines is in stats that reflect his fundamentals. Using advanced analytics and tests, Palmer measured McCord’s velocity (miles per hour), spin rate (RPMs), and spiral efficiency (an algorithm where 100 represents a perfect spiral) in front of 300 league personnel.

Much to everyone’s surprise, McCord ranked in the 95th percentile of all the NFL QBs Palmer has tested. While these three metrics showcased the quarterback’s raw throwing abilities, he also excelled in cognitive tests, such as the S2 Cognition and AIQ.

The Syracuse Orange star’s 10-3 season record and a Holiday Bowl win, has not been overlooked entirely by the NFL community either. Chase Daniel, the Fox Sports analyst, has echoed Palmer’s thoughts by recently comparing McCord to Baker Mayfield.

Kyle McCord reminds me of a taller Baker Mayfield….the way they stand in the pocket, drop, and throw.

Dude can flat out spin it….could be a steal in the mid rounds.

— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) February 22, 2025

Coming back to Palmer, he claimed that the teams do recognize the value and quality the former Buckeyes star brings to the table. McCord scored 34 TDs in a struggling Syracuse squad, so that could make a huge case for him.

It will be interesting to see how McCord’s story develops in the coming weeks.