Though he sat out the entire 2025 season, Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy is still considered one of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL draft.
The 20-year-old CB has been projected to go somewhere in the first round, presumably in the 10-25 range, but according to Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports, McCoy could experience a draft day fall as teams may be souring on him the closer we get to the draft because of his injury history and the fact that he’s coming off a torn ACL.
“You could argue that no player’s stock has been more volatile than that of former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy,” DeArdo wrote. “He’s regarded by several pundits as the top corner in this class talent-wise. … However, McCoy is now +850 to be a top-10 pick this Thursday, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, and has a new draft position of over/under 17.5 with the Over heavily juiced at -500. So, what happened? Well, McCoy’s medicals are scaring teams off.
“NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported that the ACL he had reconstructed is not the issue, but there’s concern about a bone plug that was used to repair a cartilage defect in McCoy’s knee. There are reportedly some doctors that have seen his scans, and believe McCoy needs another procedure, which would require an “extensive” recovery. It’s a situation similar to that of cornerback Will Johnson in last year’s draft, where a top 10 talent fell out of the first round completely due to concerns about his knee.”
McCoy turned heads when he ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash during his pro day.
A natural ballhawk — he logged 14 passes defended and six interceptions in two seasons — McCoy was one of the best cover corners in college football in 2024. He allowed a completion percentage of 50 with just two touchdowns against that season.
It’s still possible McCoy could go as high as No. 11 to the Miami Dolphins or No. 12 to the Dallas Cowboys.
But if he falls out of the top 15, the New York Jets at No. 16, the Cowboys at No. 20, the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21, and the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 29 could all be realistic landing spots for him.
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