Eagles pick QB Kyle McCord in sixth round of NFL draft

The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles added to their quarterback room Saturday, picking Syracuse's Kyle McCord with the 181st pick in the sixth round.

McCord, a Philadelphia native, said he was getting prank calls from local numbers during the day, so he was skeptical when another came through as the Eagles selection approached.

"When I got that '215' phone call, I was thinking it was just another prank call. But picking up the phone and having [general manager] Howie [Roseman] on the other side was pretty cool," he said.

The Eagles taking a quarterback wasn't the most obvious choice, given that they have 26-year-old franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts in the fold along with a couple promising reserves in Tanner McKee and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who they acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Brownsin March. But Philadelphia has long been an organization that invests in the quarterback position even when they seem well-equipped -- like in 2017, when it brought in eventual Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles to back up an ascending QB in Carson Wentz.

"What really stands out is how quickly he moves through progressions and how quickly his mind works. Really excited to work with him," coach Nick Sirianni said.

In McCord, they get a signal-caller who led the FBS and set an ACC record last season with 4,779 passing yards in his only season at Syracuse. He led the Orange to a 10-win season and a victory over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl.

He also finished fourth in the nation with 34 passing touchdowns while throwing 12 interceptions. McCord played his first three seasons at Ohio State, with his best season coming in 2023, when he threw for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. He played behind C.J. Stroud his first two seasons with the Buckeyes, appearing in a total of 12 games.

"Looking back on it, that was probably the best thing that could have happened for me as a young quarterback," McCord said. "Being able to sit behind a quarterback like that and just pick his brain and see how he prepares and how he goes about his business throughout the week and how he carries himself through the highs and lows.

"I'm looking forward to doing the same thing here. Obviously, Jalen is the guy, and I think he's going to be a great mentor and someone who I'm just going to try and mimic. He's had a lot of success in the league and it's not by accident."

For his college career, McCord passed for 8,555 yards, 61 touchdowns and 20 interceptions and has completed 66.2% of his pass attempts.br/]