Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord caught a stray shot at the NFL level when Giants wide receivers coach Mike Groh attempted to lure star Buckeyes wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. into slandering the developing signal caller, as seen in Tuesday’s episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants.”
“Obviously, you played with one of the best quarterbacks for a few years. How about you got a young guy who’s growing in the position?” Groh asked Harrison Jr. during the NFL Combine.
“You beat a guy like this, got a chance for a touchdown, and he under-throws it. What do you come back to the huddle saying to him?”
Harrison decided not to take the bait.
“I don’t say anything to quarterbacks,” Harrison responded.
“I mean, that’s a s–t throw, right?” Groh continued while Giants general manager Joe Schoen sat behind laughing.
“I can make a play still,” Harrison responded, refusing to bad mouth McCord. “I will never say anything to the quarterback; always just blame myself because I was able to make the play.”
The Giants were impressed by Harrison and former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, who was drafted No. 3 overall by the Patriots.
Big Blue surely would’ve loved to draft Harrison at No. 6, but there was little chance he would fall past No. 4, where the Cardinals selected the Ohio State star.
The play Groh mentioned was a first-down red zone throw against Wisconsin on Oct. 28, 2023, as discovered by X user @woodyVSworld.
Harrison wanted the ball to be in the back corner of the end zone.
McCord instead under-threw the ball, resulting in a jump ball that was easily batted away by cornerback Ricardo Hallman.
McCord, who has since transferred to Syracuse, had a 65.8 percent completion rate in 2023, with 24 touchdowns, six interceptions and 3,170 yards.
The year prior, Harrison’s quarterback and eventual Texans star, CJ Stroud, threw for 3,688 yards and 41 touchdowns.
McCord’s Ohio State career did not start the same way his predecessors did, as Justin Fields and Stroud each were strongly in contention to win the Heisman Trophy early in their careers.
Fields was a first-round selection for the Bears in 2021 and has since been traded to the Steelers.
Stroud was selected second overall by the Texans last year and led them to a playoff berth.