Khordae Sydnor

Khordae (core-DAY) Sydnor (SID-nor), who has 2 brothers, grew up in Harlem, N.Y., primarily with his father (Tracey Sydnor), a special education teacher and videographer. He discovered his love for football while playing quarterback for the Harlem Jets — he helped lead the team to the 2013 Empire League Super Bowl championship. He was a finalist for the NFL’s “Together We Make Football” campaign in 2013, and although he didn’t win, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell invited Sydnor and his father to be his guests at Super Bowl XLVIII. He told Goodell that he would see him again in 10 years, when he was drafted. Sydnor enrolled at Iona Preparatory in New Rochelle, N.Y., where he hit a growth spurt, and his dreams changed from playing quarterback to being a defensive lineman. A three-star recruit, he collected a dozen FCS offers, including from several Ivy League programs, before Purdue offered him as a junior. He showed promise with the Boilermakers in 2022, but his playing time decreased in 2023 under a new coaching staff (Ryan Walters). He entered the portal and transferred to Vanderbilt, where he “rediscovered” his love for football, for his final two seasons. Sydnor is lean in areas but owns an NFL frame, with outstanding length and wingspan. He has adequate twitch off the ball and good speed in his pass rush and pursuit. Despite being high cut, he can sink and bend to quickly redirect his momentum. His rush moves are tenacious and physical but require more nuance and tempo to be effective. He uses his long arms and functional strength to hold the point and rid himself of blocks. He was voted a team captain as a senior because of his work ethic and status as a role model in the program. Overall, Sydnor is more disruptive than productive, but he offers interesting NFL traits in his length and athleticism. Those traits were highlighted during his pro-day performance that opened eyes among NFL scouts.