‘I don’t know where the medical stuff is coming from’ – Vols insider shares latest on Jermod McCoy after new injury concern pops up
Tennessee Vols cornerback Jermod McCoy is widely viewed as a top 10 talent in the 2026 NFL Draft, but there are new injury concerns that have popped up concerning the Texas native’s surgically repaired ACL.
Tennessee Vols cornerback Jermod McCoy is facing new questions about his surgically repaired ACL that could impact where he’s selected in the 2026 NFL Draft later this week.
McCoy is considered one of the top talents in the draft, but concerns about the ACL injury he suffered 15 months ago is giving some NFL teams pause about selecting him early in the first round.
On Monday, a report from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero stated that there are new concerns about McCoy’s knee, specifically that he could require a second surgery.
Pelissero suggested that the new information could cause McCoy to fall out of the first round.
“Let’s talk about what this is and what it is not,” said Pelissero. “It’s not the ACL that he had reconstructed. My understanding is the ACL itself is fine. All the scans look good.
“The concern is about a bone plug that was used to repair a cartilage defect in his knee. Some of the doctors that have seen his scans are concerned that he will need another surgery to replace that bone plug, which would be an extensive recovery.
“We know this, Ian — McCoy feels good. He certainly looked it. Ran really well at his Pro Day. In his mind, he is fully anticipating being ready to roll in the 2026 season. But you’ve got 32 team doctors, 32 degrees of risk tolerance. Everybody is looking at this — this is a top 10 talent who potentially may not go that high. May not even go in round one.”
Vols insider shares thoughts on Jermod McCoy
VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs joined WNML’s SportsTalk on Tuesday and was asked about the new report on McCoy’s knee.
“I think we’re at that point in time in the draft where everybody’s picking everybody apart,” said Hubbs. “You’ve probably over-talked it for four or five months now. And so you’re seeing everybody all over the place with some things.
“I know this: McCoy went through the medical stuff at the NFL Combine, and said he was cleared to play and chose not to because he didn’t feel comfortable or ready to play in November here at Tennessee. And then he went out and did everything at his pro day and ran a [good 40 yard dash] time. I don’t know where the medical stuff is coming from this late for him, or why anybody would question that. I still think he’s going to be the first Tennessee player taken in the draft. I think he’s going to be taken in the first round.”
“I don’t see the red flags with him at this point in time,” added Hubbs. “Now, I could be wrong — something could pop up here. But I just don’t see a whole lot of stock in that one report that everybody seems to be sort of gravitating to.”
It’s tough to know this time of year what’s real and what’s not when it comes to the NFL Draft.
A report about McCoy’s health popping up just days before the first round is certainly fishy — it almost feels like a team is trying to manipulate where McCoy is drafted — but it could be something legitimate. It’s just hard to know how much stock to put into this report without knowing where it originated from, or why it was put out this week.
I guess we’ll see on Thursday night when the 2026 NFL Draft gets underway just how worried NFL teams are about McCoy’s knee.