After James Pearce Jr. went to the Atlanta Falcons with the 26th overall pick in last weekend’s NFL Draft, Tennessee could make it back-to-back years with a first-round draft pick in 2026.
Pro Football Focus analyst Dalton Wasserman put out his way-too-early first round mock draft on Monday with with one Tennessee player landing in the selections.
Wasserman has Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy projected to go to the Miami Dolphins with the 15th overall pick in the draft. He also has McCoy has the second-highest cornerback in the first round with four first-round CBs overall.
Wasserman’s cornerbacks include Avieon Terrell (Clemson) to the Rams at 13, Jermod McCoy (Tennessee) to Miami at 15, Malik Muhammad (Texas) to the Chargers at 23, and A.J. Harris (Penn State) to Philadelphia at 30.
The first official 2026 mock draft from the PFF College Football Show. If you thought this year was wild and wacky, just wait… pic.twitter.com/80r9VqNl3d
— Dalton Wasserman (@PFF_Dalton) April 27, 2025
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After transferring in from Oregon State, McCoy made an immediate impact with Tennessee in his sophomore season in 2024. The six-foot corner led Tennessee with 13 passes defended (four interceptions, 9 pass breakups), which was also good for second in the SEC. McCoy also tallied the third-highest PFF season grade among all Tennessee defenders last season and only trailed EDGE rusher Joosh Josephs and first-round pick James Pearce Jr. Though all of these are different positions, McCoy also graded out significantly better than second-round pick Omarr Norman-Lott last season.
The storyline around McCoy right now is troubling, though. The Vols’ star defensive back is currently going through injury recovery after tearing his ACL back in January during workouts in his home state of Texas. Because of the injury and when it was sustained, McCoy did not participate in Tennessee’s training camp this past spring in Knoxville.
That doesn’t mean that McCoy isn’t still involved, though. And for a player who is potentially going to be watched like a hawk as a possible first-round selection next season, staying involved while he’s injured is going to be something that NFL coaches and executives want to see.
“We know that Jermod’s going to be back,” Tennessee secondary coach Willie Martinez said during spring camp. “We know he’s a great player. We know he’s a great leader. He’s doing an unbelievable job – just the same thing I just said about Rickey is times two with him. He’s engaged. He’s actually growing as a player, even though he’s not physically going through it. He’s setting the example. He’s leading it.”
McCoy was a shutdown cornerback for Tennessee in 2024 with 44 total tackles, 26 solo tackles, and four interceptions. The Texas native played and started in all 13 games and tied for first in the conference in picks.
While injury recovery is the main concern this offseason, a healthy Jermod McCoy is undoubtedly one of the top cornerbacks in the country and could be the Vols’ second first-rounder in as many years.
