Tuesday is one of the biggest days in the Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 draft process, here’s why
The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for the 2026 NFL Draft, and today will be a very important day in the process.
Heading into the NFL Draft, countless key dates determine teams’ strategies. That includes combine, 30 visits, Pro Days, and more. For the Dallas Cowboys, one of the biggest days of their 2026 pre-draft process is finally here.
That’s because out of every scheduled Pro Day, none is as important as that of first-round prospect Jermod McCoy, the cornerback out of Tennessee.
Jermod McCoy’s Pro Day will be crucial
Tennessee’s Pro Day will begin on Tuesday at approximately 12:45 p.m. ET. All eyes will be on McCoy for a simple reason. He’s one of the best defensive players in this class, but he last played live football in January of 2025.
To use a premium pick on someone with McCoy’s film? Easy. To do so when you don’t know what he looks like, moving well over a year since he last took the field? That’s different.
To add to the intrigue, McCoy didn’t work out at the NFL Scouting Combine. At the time, it raised serious questions about his rehab. On Tuesday, the former Vol has a chance to wipe those away.
For the Cowboys, a strong workout could put McCoy back on the radar at No. 12 overall. Though Brian Schottenheimer won’t be in attendance himself, he knows how important the day is for McCoy.
“When you got a guy that hasn’t played football in a long time, you see the talent, you see the skillset, I think it’s really, really important,” Schottenheimer said Monday. “I’m pulling for him.”
Especially in a wiped-out scenario—that is, if prospects like LSU CB Mansoor Delane, S Caleb Downs, LB Sonny Styles, and EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. are off the board—the Cowboys could be comfortable nabbing McCoy.
Earlier in the year, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated they didn’t want “redshirt rookies.” However, now McCoy may prove that doesn’t apply to him. We’ll see how it goes.
Jermod McCoy scouting report summary
Rob Gregson: “McCoy projects to be a man-coverage defender who is at his best on the boundary and guarding the man in front of him. With some of the smoothest transitions in the class, you can feel confident about his ability to mirror and match defenders on underneath and intermediate routes.
“There are some questions about his recovery speed, and you would like to see him use more of his frame at the line of scrimmage and against the run, but those underscore the injury concerns. If McCoy comes out of his medicals cleanly during the pre-draft process, there is a chance he’s the top corner off the board.”
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