Zech
Mcphearson.
Zech
Mcphearson.
Texas Tech· 5'11"· 191 lb· 4.43s 40
"A 5'11", 191-pound Texas Tech corner (Penn State transfer) with 4.43 pro-day speed, four INTs and a fumble-return TD in 2020 — a Round-4 nickel-and-special-teams bet on burst and ball production over length."Pre-draft read
He plays a compact, twitchy cover corner, demonstrating burst to plant and drive on throws with noteworthy closing speed. His vision and strong finish lead to ball production. In press-bail and off-man coverage, his footwork is tidy, allowing him to mirror through the first ten yards with a compact backpedal that maintains hip looseness. He also contributes as a willing, form-tackling run defender, consistently showing effort for the position.
His limitations are structural; stacked verticals against larger receivers present challenges due to average long speed, and bigger targets can out-body him on 50/50 contested balls. He is best utilized as a rotational slot or dime piece with a defined role on all four core special teams units, rather than as a primary boundary starter in press coverage.
Fangio two-high
A Year 1 rotational slot/dime contributor and four-core special teams ace, with a ceiling as a reliable nickelback capable of occasional boundary press duty.
A Cover-1 scheme that relies on a single high safety and expects corners to win consistently against stacked vertical routes.
A compact, press-capable nickel with excellent short-area burst and ball skills, McPhearson excels within 10 yards and should thrive in a zone-heavy scheme that leverages his tackling and special teams prowess, despite limitations in length and long speed.
Zech McPhearson — Texas Tech Senior Highlights (2020)
Big 12 tape from his lone Red Raiders season: ball production, press-bail reps and the fumble-return TD that defined his file.
Countdown to Camp: Fumble Return for TD
Signature Texas Tech play — reads the receiver, punches the ball out and finishes with a scoop-and-score, the exact ball-skills trait that got him drafted.
Eagles draft Zech McPhearson in the 4th round
Draft-night reveal and Philadelphia's public case: nickel corner with four-core special-teams value in a rebuilt secondary.
This player projects as a press-capable nickel corner who provides immediate special teams value. He is a willing tackler with good burst and ball-hawking instincts, offering a team depth in the secondary and a core special teams contributor. His 4.43-second forty-yard dash indicated functional speed for the position, supporting his on-field quickness and short-area athleticism.
He spent three developmental years at Penn State before transferring to Texas Tech for his senior season in 2020. That year, he had a breakout performance, earning All-Big 12 second-team honors with four interceptions and a fumble-return touchdown. He was deployed in a scheme that allowed him to alternate between outside and slot reps, showcasing positional flexibility and strong production in that context.
Evaluators noted flags regarding his length and top-end recovery speed. However, his burst, ball skills, and willingness to tackle contributed to a consensus projection in the fourth-to-fifth-round range. He was ultimately selected in the fourth round, with teams valuing his athletic traits and potential on special teams.
- 01
Ball production
In 2020, he recorded four interceptions and a fumble-return touchdown, showcasing his ability to play the ball.
- 02
Short-area burst
His 39.5-inch vertical and 128-inch broad jump indicate quick closing speed, allowing him to plant and drive effectively on throws.
- 03
Special-teams profile
A willing and physical contributor with the speed and tackling temperament to immediately contribute on four core special teams units.
- 04
Press-bail flexibility
Comfortable in both press and off-man coverage, with clean transitions and a compact backpedal that allows for versatile usage.
- 05
Tackling in space
A form tackler who wraps and drives through contact, fitting schemes that require corners to support the run effectively.
- 01
Length and frame
With roughly 30-inch arms, longer receivers can win through contact and out-reach him on contested catches and back-shoulder throws.
- 02
Long speed vs. verticals
His long speed is not elite, allowing true burners to stack him past 15 yards and limiting his projection as a boundary starter.
- 03
Age curve
As a 23-year-old graduate transfer, his sample of dominant coverage against top competition before his senior year is less extensive.
- 04
Contested-catch consistency
Despite ball production, tape shows late head-turns and hand-fighting where a longer corner might play through the receiver's hands.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.43sp50
- Vertical
- 39.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 128inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.79sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.20sp50
- Bench
- 15repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Penn State | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Penn State | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | Penn State | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | Texas Tech | 12 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2020 | Texas Tech | 10 | 53 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Career | — | 45 | 119 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Rotational nickel and four-core special-teamer whose value is roster utility more than defensive snap count.
Undersized, sub-package nickel who won with burst, ball production and special-teams-caliber tackling — the ceiling if the processing and slot instincts pop.
Journeyman slot piece bouncing between practice squads and depth roles when injuries and length mismatches catch up.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Bust. Rotational Year 1 (25 tackles, core teams), season-ending torn Achilles preseason 2022 wiped out his career. Signed with the Chiefs in 2024 on a futures deal, out of the league by 2025.
Pre-draft context. McPhearson took the long route: three quiet developmental years at Penn State before graduate-transferring to Texas Tech in 2020, where he immediately became the defense's most productive player — four interceptions, a fumble-return touchdown and All-Big 12 second-team honors in a shortened Big 12 season. The 2021 combine was cancelled to COVID, so his Lubbock pro day did the heavy lifting: 5'11", 191 pounds, 4.43 forty, 39.5-inch vertical, 128-inch broad, 6.79 three-cone and 15 bench reps at 225. Board consensus put him in the Round 4-5 nickel/special-teams tier; length and long speed were the flags, the ball skills and burst were the sell.
NFL fit — Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia took him at #123 in a reset of the secondary, betting on the special-teams floor with Darius Slay and eventually James Bradberry ahead of him on the depth chart. Year one was almost entirely a core-teams role — gunner and vise on the units — with mop-up defensive reps. He carved out a bigger sub-package role in 2022 on the NFC-champion Eagles, contributing on kick coverage through Super Bowl LVII, but never displaced the veteran corners in the base defense.
Retrospective. The pick tracked as advertised — a fourth-round special-teams corner with a nickel ceiling — until an August 2023 Achilles tear wiped out his entire season and reset the trajectory. He returned in 2024 to a reserve role behind a reshaped secondary and has since bounced through the back end of the roster and practice squad. The tape from 2020 and the pro-day numbers were real; the outcome is a classic Day-3 backup and core-teams contributor whose ceiling was capped by length and a major injury, not by scouting error.