Howie Roseman's pursuit of Kyle McCord was deliberate, not accidental

USA Today

10-05-2025

Howie Roseman's pursuit of Kyle McCord was deliberate, not accidental Kyle McCord's selection was no accident. The Eagles GM knew exactly what he was doing.
His story is well-known.
New Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Kyle McCord is a Mount Laurel, New Jersey native. He attended St. Joseph's Preparatory. There, he teamed with another future Ohio State Buckeyes star, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. He finished his high school career with 6,887 passing yards, a Philadelphia Catholic League record, and 88 touchdown passes.
He spent his freshman season primarily backing up now-Houston Texans star C.J. Stroud at Ohio State. One thing led to another. One week before Christmas in 2023, he announced he would transfer to Syracuse to be the Orange's field general.
That decision worked out. He led the ACC with 391 completions and 4,779 passing yards. He also tossed 34 TD passes en route to a Second-Team All-Conference nomination. Former Miami Hurricanes star and new Tennessee Titans signal-caller Cam Ward stopped him from being named to the First Team.
Ward heard his name called first overall during the 2025 NFL Draft. McCord was taken 180 spots later in Round 6. That has sparked some discussion.
Make no mistake, though. Howie Roseman and the Eagles wanted McCord. They had a plan to acquire him, which worked perfectly.
Howie Roseman details the deliberate approach the Eagles took to acquiring Kyle McCord.
Eagles, both current and former, are no strangers to The Rich Eisen Show. Recently, Howie Roseman was welcomed to the broadcast following the most recent NFL Draft. Everything was on the table, from Jihaad Campbell's surprise selection at 31 to Philly's fans and, of course, the Tush Push ban.
Howie's take on the Kyle McCord selection was interesting. Let's say this isn't just someone the Birds wound up with. Howie and his staff had a plan. Philly's GM was particularly hands-on. He contacted Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon for further evaluation and loved the feedback.
'(He's a) really quick processor. The ball's coming out really quickly with anticipation and accuracy. You know, leading passer in the NCAA. You just go down his games this year, and it's like 340, 380, 390. I mean, it's unbelievable. He's throwing the ball all over the field.'
McCord earns his opportunity to do what Kenny Pickett did last season: play for the team he grew up rooting for. Please make no mistake about it. The Eagles' organization has also watched what McCord has been doing.
'We know him really well. (He's a) St. Joe's prep graduate (and a) three-time state champion in high school. (He) goes to Ohio State. I think he had two career losses at Ohio State, you know, as a starter, and then goes to Syracuse and just performs really well there.'
McCord is the first former Syracuse standout to be drafted by the Birds since Donovan McNabb. He joins a QB room led by the new Eagles offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo.
Parks Frazier is the passing game coordinator, and Scot Loeffler is the new quarterbacks coach. McCord will now bounce ideas off of them and teammates Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He's going to be just fine.