Kyle McCord deals with draft-day pranksters before call with Eagles leaves him emotional (video)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord won a high school state championship at Saint Joseph’s Prep (Pennsylvania) with Philadelphia Eagles teammate Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

After several high school games at Lincoln Financial Field, McCord is returning to Philadelphia to begin his NFL career.

While McCord was waiting to learn which team would take him, he said he received calls from pranksters pretending to be NFL personnel.

When a number with a 215 area code popped up on his phone later Saturday afternoon, McCord was suspicious of who was really on the other end.

When he broke the news it was the hometown team to his family, McCord embraced them in a long, emotional hug.

“I really had no idea who it was going to be,” McCord said of his phone call from Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman. “It’s just a surreal moment, obviously, growing up in the area.”

McCord grew up watching former Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb lead the Eagles. Now, he gets to follow in McNabb’s footsteps and begin his NFL career with his hometown team.

McCord’s path to the Eagles wasn’t smooth on or off the field. The order in which quarterbacks were drafted this year shocked many in the NFL community and resulted in McCord, the ACC’s single-season passing leader, falling to the sixth round.

McCord met with quarterback-needy teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints, but after the Steelers passed on quarterbacks and the Saints used the No. 40 pick on Louisville’s Tyler Shough, McCord was selected by the Eagles 181st overall in the sixth round.

Before that, McCord had a very public breakup with Ohio State, which prompted his transfer to Syracuse. It was a heavy topic of discussion at the NFL Scouting Combine, a conversation that McCord didn’t run from.

Nearly two months later, McCord understands how much Syracuse prepared him for the NFL.

“We threw the ball a ton last year and there was a lot on my plate,” McCord said. “It seemed like every game for us came down to one possession. I had to be great in two-minute drives and situational football, and that’s all the NFL is, too. So, it definitely prepared me. I know I got a lot better on and off the field.”

McCord won’t be competing for a starting job in Philadelphia with Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts entrenched as the starter. Instead, McCord will compete with Dorian Thompson-Robinson — whom McCord trained with in California — and Tanner McKee for a backup spot.

While McCord was the instant starter at Syracuse and Ohio State’s starter in 2023, McCord spent time behind Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud while in Columbus. It helped him learn and develop as a quarterback, and McCord anticipates sitting behind Hurts having the same effect.

“Looking back on it, that was probably the best thing that could have happened for me as a young quarterback,” McCord said of backing up Stroud. “Being able to sit behind a guy like that and just pick his brain. See how he prepares and how he goes about his business throughout the week.

“I’m looking forward to doing the same thing here. Obviously, Jalen is the guy, and I think that’s going to be a great mentor and someone who I’m just going to try to mimic.”

McCord didn’t meet much with the Eagles throughout the pre-draft process. He met with Philadelphia at the East-West Shrine Bowl and the combine but had just one Zoom meeting with the Eagles afterward. The lack of communication led McCord to not having the Eagles high on the list of teams he thought were most likely to draft him.

That disbelief made McCord an easy target for pranksters. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders made news on Friday when he received a prank call through a private phone number issued to him by the NFL. One day later, McCord was on the receiving end of pranks from people pretending to represent numerous NFL teams.

“I got a few prank calls earlier in the day from 609 numbers and 215 numbers,” McCord said. “When I got that 215 call, I was thinking it was just another prank call. But picking up the phone and having Howie on the other side was pretty cool.”

McCord’s NFL career begins soon. Organized team activities begin May 21, with additional workouts scheduled for May 27-28, May 30, June 2-3 and June 5, before mandatory minicamp begins June 10.