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One name that gas flown under the radar during the NFL Draft process would be Kyle McCord. The former Ohio State and Syracuse football quarterback had an exceptional season.
He led the nation in pass completion and attempts, as well as passing yards. McCord was a major threat in the ACC, and even placed 10th in Heisman Trophy voting.
As the NFL Draft is creeping up, one scout said that McCord has everything that a team is looking for.
“When you're evaluating quarterbacks, it's the whole package,” the scout said. “It's obviously the traits, it's the mental makeup, it's the history of coaching he's had, all of that. But it's how he handles adversity as much as anything.
“For Kyle, here's a kid who was a 5-star [recruit], plays well at Ohio State, but fans turn on him after losing one time to Michigan. Then he goes to Syracuse and wins 10 games — at Syracuse.”
The comments aren't a diss towards Syracuse, but they haven't had the best history. However, winning 10 games is an achievement, considering what they went through.
After all, McCord helped knock out Miami (FL) from College Football Playoff contention. That alone caught scouts' eyes.
Kyle McCord could be a sleeper in the NFL Draft
Despite a rough ending to his time in Columbus, McCord redeemed himself in his lone season at Syracuse. Again, he led the nation in a multitude of passing categories.
However, it is the mental side that will likely intrigue scouts. It's hard to teach the mental side. Teaching throwing mechanics and technicalities of the quarterback position is easy.
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Training someone's mind is not.
Luckily for McCord, his adversity was for a reason. It made him more resilient and could've even prepared him for the NFL Draft. That one scout talked briefly about that.
“He was down in a lot of those [games] and he always seemed to find a way out,” the scout said. “That's what I'm looking at as much as anything.”
Having a heart is such an underrated component in sports. Some of the most successful players were because they have the mental edge.
It's a stark comparison, but a guy like Tom Brady fits the bill. He wasn't an amazing athlete, and didn't have a great arm, or other naturally gifted attributes.
However, he worked his tail off to be better. But he was one of the most mentally sharp people to ever play the game. There was always an edge, even when there didn't seem to be one.
Not saying that McCord will be Brady, but some of those intangibles can come in handy if he gets drafted.
