How NFL Draft analysts are gauging Syracuse’s top-4 2025 prospects
Syracuse will have many of its top players drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft Thursday, including quarterback Kyle McCord and edge rusher Fadil Diggs. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor
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After one season under head coach Fran Brown, Syracuse boasts one of its best NFL Draft prospect crops in recent memory.
Quarterback Kyle McCord, tight end Oronde Gadsden II, running back LeQuint Allen Jr. and edge rusher Fadil Diggs all have strong chances of getting selected in this week’s 2025 NFL Draft. The four, who spurred the Orange’s 10-3 record in a historic 2024 campaign, are each generating significant buzz as probable day two or three picks.
Here’s what NFL Draft experts have to say about McCord, Gadsden, Allen Jr. and Diggs’ NFL outlooks, featuring insight from Pro Football Focus analysts Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman:
Kyle McCord, QB
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 218 lbs
2024 season: 4,779 passing yards (ACC record)
McCord is a prime example of the transfer portal’s good side, exiting Ohio State for Syracuse before putting together the Atlantic Coast Conference’s gaudiest passing season ever. He threw for 4,779 yards and 34 touchdowns with 12 interceptions, breaking SU program records in single-season passing yards and touchdowns. He even went toe-to-toe with possible No. 1 pick Cam Ward and upset Miami last November.
Chadwick said McCord’s growth this past year struck him, particularly in how he excelled in a vastly different play style than at Ohio State. Playing alongside a loaded roster with weapons like Marvin Harrison Jr. meant McCord was relatively plug-and-play in the Buckeyes’ offense. At Syracuse, though, Chadwick felt McCord got tasked to do it all.
“He wasn’t really a major reason why they won games at Ohio State,” Chadwick said of McCord. “Now, at Syracuse, it all kind of fell on him and he became one of the bigger gunslingers that we saw in college football.”
McCord, who led the country with 592 pass attempts in 2024, was the definition of a gunslinger at SU. Wasserman interestingly compared McCord’s game to veteran quarterback Jameis Winston, but with less extreme interception numbers and a weaker arm. McCord led the nation with 36 big-time throws last year, per PFF, but also committed the most turnover-worthy plays with 24.
Wasserman feels McCord will need to tone down how many vertical attempts he tries per game at the NFL level. He did acknowledge that McCord sees the field well and used quick-passing to his advantage at SU, qualities that NFL teams could gravitate toward. McCord doesn’t offer much as an improviser, Wasserman said, though operating within structure — arguably the biggest necessity for an NFL quarterback — is McCord’s strength.
Chadwick gave McCord a Baker Mayfield comparison, while Wasserman thinks the probable mid-round selection is the league’s next Winston. Both see McCord as a career backup.
“The way the game is now, if you don’t have that elite athleticism, well, you need other tools to win,” Wasserman said. “Does he have those tools? Yeah. He’s gotta continue to work out and reel it in a little bit. But I would say the biggest thing for McCord is understanding when to take those deep shots and be a little more measured about it.”
ESPN Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranks McCord as the No. 6 quarterback in the class.
Oronde Gadsden II, TE
Height: 6-foot-4 ⅝
Weight: 243 pounds
2024 season: 934 yards, 7 TDs
Gadsden resoundingly responded from an injury-ruined 2023 season. The tight end grew into one of the nation’s most dangerous vertical threats in 2024, racking up nearly 1,000 receiving yards and adding seven touchdowns. From November 9–23 last year, Gadsden flashed his ability to take over games, exploding for 100-plus yards in three straight contests.
Wasserman thinks Gadsden’s innate physical traits and ability to play as a big slot receiver could boost him into a top-100 draft selection. NFL offenses have trended toward big weapons occupying the slot in recent years; the way the Cincinnati Bengals use large, athletic tight end Mike Gesicki could be how Gadsden’s skill set is implemented, Wasserman said.
Gadsden spent nearly 60% of his snaps from the slot in 2024, according to PFF, and tallied a career-high 82.7 season offensive grade. Both analysts said an NFL team will draft Gadsden due to his receiving potential, not his blocking. Chadwick called Gadsden one of the worst blocking tight ends in the class; Gadsden’s PFF blocking grade finished at 65.0 in 2024.
“I don’t think he’s an in-line tight end at all,” Chadwick said of Gadsden. “He’s not gonna line up on the line of scrimmage with his hand in the dirt, he’s a guy you’re probably going to want in the slot, standing up and be a big slot wide receiver for you.”
Oronde Gadsden II turns upfield after catching a pass at Syracuse’s Pro Day. Gadsden will look to follow in his father’s footsteps and be selected in the NFL Draft Thursday. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor
Chadwick said Gadsden’s pure hands, and coming into the NFL Combine at a bigger-than-expected size, will improve his stock heading into Draft Day. He thinks he could fit well with a creative offensive coordinator who deploys a good mix of 12 personnel.
Wasserman floated Dalton Kincaid as a potential comparison to Gadsden. He added that the Jacksonville Jaguars could fit Gadsden’s playstyle well, as quarterback Trevor Lawrence is missing another weapon in the seams to complement receiver Brian Thomas Jr. on the outside.
“I have Gadsden as a solid receiver, it’s just that two-dimensional part he’s missing,” Wasserman said. “He could be an attractive piece, it really is going to depend on the type of offense you’re talking about.”
LeQuint Allen Jr., RB
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 204 lbs
2024 season: 1,542 scrimmage yards (career-high)
Adding to Syracuse’s rich history of backfield dynamos, Allen Jr. completed a superb three-year career with his best campaign yet in 2024. He ran for 1,021 yards, scampered for 20 total touchdowns. He also caught 64 passes, the most for an FBS running back last season, for 521 receiving yards. The versatile weapon often wore opponents down as games progressed, earning the role of SU’s late-game finisher under Brown and offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon.
Yet, he may have entered the draft too early.
Chadwick and Wasserman wish they could’ve seen another year out of Allen Jr. instead of him going pro now. They said he’s stuffed toward the bottom of this year’s running back class because he shows less breakaway speed than top guys like Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton.
“I don’t think he’s the most athletic running back that we have in this class, or even close to it,” Chadwick said of Allen Jr. “I thought he could’ve really developed for another year and become a top prospect at the running back position for the 2026 draft.”
Chadwick still sees Allen Jr. as a solid third-down running back and believes he’s one of the better receiving backs in this year’s class. While Allen Jr. struggles to break tackles and blaze through the second and third levels, Chadwick said, he can make up for it by playing as a situational back.
Both analysts see Allen Jr. as a day three draft pick (rounds 4-7) with the chance of going undrafted. Wasserman compared Allen Jr.’s game to Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White, saying the Indianapolis Colts could use a receiving back like Allen Jr. to back up Jonathan Taylor.
“I understand the receiving ability, but I actually wasn’t sure he was quite ready yet as a runner,” Wasserman said of Allen Jr. entering the draft. “His vision and some of his fundamentals and footwork in the backfield could use a little more work.”
Kiper has Allen Jr. as the 12th-best running back in this year’s draft.
Fadil Diggs, EDGE
Height: 6-foot-4 ⅜
Weight: 257 lbs
2024 season: 7.5 sacks (team-high)
Fadil Diggs, a Texas A&M transfer, led Syracuse in sacks last season with 7.5, a career-high after not producing at a high level in College Station. Diggs’ lone year at SU was defined by his ability to rotate from the front four to the second level and a few notable personal performances — like his two-sack night in Syracuse’s upset road win over UNLV in October — which earned him National Defensive Player of the Week honors.
But one thing about Diggs is blowing scouts and experts away: his 4.57 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
Wasserman thinks the edge rusher’s scorching time elevated him from being undrafted to being a probable round 6-7 selection. He said Diggs will be drafted purely as an athlete; the edge rusher’s speed and size combination make him worth a late-round flyer.
Syracuse edge rusher Fadil Diggs completes a drill during SU’s Pro Day. After transferring to the Orange last season, Diggs accumulated a career-high 7.5 sacks. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor
Diggs’ positional flexibility increases his intrigue as a prospect, too. Diggs often slid into the second level as an outside linebacker in SU’s 4-3 defense. Wasserman thinks teams will jump in late rounds to take a guy like Diggs, who can fill multiple roles. Chadwick, however, said Diggs will not play linebacker in the NFL, though his versatility is still a nice touch.
“He’s a guy that’s going to be an edge rusher for you, and depending on what kind of scheme you’re in, he’ll have his hand in the dirt or be rushing from a two-point stance,” Chadwick said.
Diggs isn’t the most technically sound pass rusher, lacking edge bend and exhibiting a “stiff” lower body, Wasserman said. Regardless, it’s likely the Camden, New Jersey, native hears his name called at some point Saturday afternoon.
“There are teams that, late in the draft, just draft athletes, and he’s definitely an athlete,” Wasserman said of Diggs. “Especially with what he showed at the combine, somebody’s going to be interested in that.”
