Raiders didn’t hesitate to take CB Jermod McCoy in the fourth round, but there’s still a delicate plan they’re working on
The Las Vegas Raiders are aware that their new cornerback Jermod McCoy could need another procedure.
The Las Vegas Raiders took a risk in the 2026 NFL Draft that 32 teams were scared to take for three full rounds. To start the fourth round, they traded up to get Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, who is a first-round talent with an injury that could be devastating to his career.
That’s what the reports are. No one truly knows how bad his injury is or can be but him and his doctor. Either way, the Raiders saw tremendous value in the fourth round. They didn’t waver for a second when he was there.
“Yeah, so confidence was not a problem,” Raiders VP of Player Personnel Brandon Hunt said. “We felt good about it at where we took him, and it was an opportunity to get value. This is probably arguably the best corner in the draft, and we feel like we have great, great people and a great process to make sure we get the best out of this player.”
Even without truly knowing the full extent of the injury and recovery, and even more so, his future, the Raiders felt fine. They have a strong belief in what they’re doing.
“I was just going to add to that. I have a lot of confidence in the player, and our medical staff is outstanding here,” Raiders Director of College Scouting Brandon Yeargan followed up. “So, just to echo what B [Brandon] Hunt said. Alex Guerrero, Chris Cortez, our doctors, we’ll have a great plan in place for him, and as you said, he’s a high-quality person and football character makeup too.”
Even though the Raiders believe in the pick, they went through the process the right way and got incredible value; there is still a plan to put in place.
Raiders should be getting started on a delicate plan for potential star CB Jermod McCoy
After being drafted, McCoy told the media via Zoom that he’s leaving it to the Raiders’ staff to determine whether he needs additional surgery on his knee. That conversation appeared not to be part of the pre-draft process for Vegas, which is fine. You really need to get the guy in the building first.
“Yeah, so right now, before he even gets with our people, we didn’t even get that far,” Hunt said. “We have a great medical staff, like we said, [Chris] Cortez and Alex G [Guerrero]. We’re going to get him in the building, make all those decisions, but right now, we’re really excited about celebrating this kid and getting him in the building. He’s 20 years old, he’s twitchy, he’s fast, he’s a cover guy, he’s got some punt return skills, and we’re really excited to see what he does. And the future is bright for this guy.”
Jermod McCoy’s stats in 2024 at Tennessee
(Didn’t play in 2025)
- 44 tackles (.5 TFL)
- 4 Interceptions (2 year before at Oregon State)
- 9 Pass Deflections (7 year before)
The plan they should get started on soon has to be delicate. McCoy is a star in the making. The tape doesn’t lie, and he could legit transform the defense, especially the secondary. But he can’t do any of that if he is not healthy. The Raiders will first need to review everyone with their trusted staff and experts. This should involve some scans of some sort, and really getting a look at it themselves rather than some “he said, she said.”
Vegas is fine with the idea that McCoy might not even play in 2026. If they were not, they wouldn’t have even drafted him, knowing what they knew. The Raiders would rather have him use the year to get healthy, so that come 2027, he’s good to go. Now, that’s assuming there’s nothing insanely crazy going on inside the knee. We can only go off what we know as the public. What we do know is that McCoy can be elite.
McCoy stands just under 6’1” and weighs 190 pounds, with 31-inch arms and outstanding speed. He turned heads at his recent Tennessee Pro Day, looking ready to contribute immediately and running a blazing 4.37 in the 40-yard dash.
When healthy, McCoy shows length, explosiveness, and smooth athleticism, pairing impressive ball skills with physicality at the catch point. He projects well in both press and off-coverage as he refines his technique. However, after missing all of 2025, he’s still young and relatively inexperienced, so drafting him is a bold move that comes with some risk.
