ESPN’s Mel Kiper projects landing spot for Jermod McCoy that could make one Super Bowl contender a true Tennessee fan favorite

The VFL could fit in well with a pair of former Vols on the West Coast.

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
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2025 was undoubtedly a very tough year for Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy. A year ago, he suffered a torn ACL that robbed him of his 2025 season and dealt a gut punch to Tennessee’s defense, which clearly was not the same without him.

However, despite missing the season, McCoy is still arguably the best cornerback available in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. And he could find himself joining some of his former Tennessee football alumni on a contender, at least according to one notable pundit.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. put out his latest mock draft this week, and he has McCoy going No. 13 overall to the Los Angeles Rams.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper projects Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy to land with the Rams at pick No. 13 in latest mock draft

This is what Kiper had to say about McCoy:

“OK, let’s get McCoy off the board for real now. He’s a tough evaluation, as he didn’t play a snap of football in the 2025 season after tearing an ACL last January. Teams are going to have to take that into consideration, and his medical checks at the combine will be key. We saw Ja’Marr Chase, Penei Sewell, Micah Parsons and Rashawn Slater all go in the top 15 in 2021 without playing at all in 2020, but they were all COVID-19 opt-outs. Recovering from an injury is a little different.

That all said, McCoy is a ball hawk, and he’s still a top-15 prospect for me. He had four interceptions and nine pass breakups back in 2024. Los Angeles has gotten the most out of its cornerbacks this season en route to the NFC Championship Game, but it still needs a true CB1. The Rams gave up 7.6 yards per pass attempt this season, tied for fifth highest.”

Kiper isn’t wrong about the fit in Los Angeles. The Rams are one of the most complete teams in the NFL. However, while solid overall, they don’t have that truly elite shutdown cornerback. When they won the Super Bowl four years ago, they had Jalen Ramsey playing at a high level. Getting another top-end talent on one side of the field could perhaps be the thing to get them over the hump – if they don’t get there this year already, as they face Seattle in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

McCoy would also help the Rams become a fan favorite with Tennessee, as the former Vols Byron Young and Jaylen McCollough both play key roles on the Rams’ tough defense.

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