It only took one practice for a Raiders insider to find out if taking a risk on Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy was a wise bet for Las Vegas
Former Tennessee Volunteers cornerback Jermod McCoy was expected to be a first round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he feel to the third day of the draft due to concerns over his knee.
Up until a few days before the 2026 NFL Draft, the expectation was that former Tennessee Vols cornerback Jermod McCoy would be a first-round pick.
McCoy, though, fell to the fourth round after a report popped up the week of the draft that suggested the former Vol may need another surgery on his knee (McCoy missed the 2025 season after tearing his ACL the previous offseason).
Not everyone bought into the doom-and-gloom scenario with McCoy, but it was enough to tank his draft stock.
“I think we’re at that point in time in the draft where everybody’s picking everybody apart,” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs after the report emerged. “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.”
The Las Vegas Raiders ended up selecting McCoy with the No. 101 overall pick.
Raiders insider saw what he needed to see from Jermod McCoy
NFL teams have been on the field this month for OTAs and minicamps, and it took just one practice for Silver & Black Sports Network’s Jesse Merrick to figure out exactly what the Raiders are getting in McCoy.
Merrick said it was immediately evident that McCoy is a “freak of nature athlete.”
“Anybody that’s been around athletes knows this, and all these guys that play are athletes, but you can just tell how springy guys are and the way they walk,” said Merrick on JT the Brick Show. “That’s one of those things that stands out a lot of times. And you watch [McCoy] and you’re just like, ‘Yeah, I can tell he’s a freak of nature athlete.’”
“As I’m watching him, I’m sitting there trying to see like, okay, where does he look hampered by this knee? Because it is such a big deal in the storyline. And yes, they’re keeping him on a pitch count and kind of limiting what he’s doing and everything like that. But if you had no idea that he had this knee problem, you wouldn’t notice it out there on the field.”
“I don’t say that to say ‘Oh, he’s ready to go now.’ Temper expectations [and] see what it looks like over the course of a really big workload. But he does look like a dude where you watch him and you’re like, ‘Okay, I can see the movement skills. I can see the fluidity and just like how easy it is for him to reach that top gear.’ So I’m interested to see if and when we get a chance to look at this kid in one-on-one type situations and I think the rest of the guys in that room are, too… if he is that guy that they think he is, that’s going to completely transform that cornerback room.”
McCoy’s talent is undeniable. He just looks different with the way he moves so fluidly. So as long as he stays healthy — and that is something no one can truly predict at this point — he could easily end up being one of the biggest steals we’ve seen in the draft in a long, long time.