One recent mock draft from USA Today Sports suggests a path for an elite team in the NFC to add another former Tennessee player to the defensive side of its roster.
USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote a projection for Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy to land with the Los Angeles Rams in a draft projection on Sunday. Middlehurst-Schwartz has the Rams picking up McCoy at No. 12 overall in a pick that was originally with the Atlanta Falcons.
“McCoy missed all of the 2025 season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in January, but a clean bill of health at the combine could enable him to compete to be the first cornerback taken,” Middlehurst-Schwartz writes.
If his projection comes true, McCoy would join a Rams roster that already has standout OLB Byron Young and safety Jaylen McCollough. Young was selected for his first NFL Pro Bowl this season.
The story that will surround McCoy leading up to the combine and the draft will be about his health. On the field, he’s proven to be an impact cornerback who can cover against the SEC’s top playmakers. But after suffering an ACL tear in January 2025 and missing the Vols’ entire season, questions will persist around his health.
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On Saturday, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. listed McCoy as his No. 13 prospect and top-ranked cornerback in the draft cycle. Kiper notes that while McCoy did not end up recording a snap for the Vols this season due to the injury, “his on-the-ball production will get Day 1 interest.”
Additionally, ESPN’s Matt Miller also gave his take on McCoy while analyzing some of the top prospects at each position that could go in the first round.
“McCoy’s six interceptions the previous two seasons show his ball skills and instincts, but questions remain about his pro readiness after missing a season,” Miller wrote. “There will be some rust that NFL teams must be comfortable with if they are going to use an early pick on him.”
But while the injury questions will still be a storyline, recent mock drafts and analysis still suggest that McCoy should be a first-round selection. If teams feel good about his progress and recovery, there’s no reason why he couldn’t be a Top 15 pick and/or the first cornerback off the board.
The 2026 NFL Draft will take place from Thursday, Apr. 23, to Saturday, Apr. 25, in Green Bay. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more NFL Draft news as the college football season winds down and the draft season begins to heat up.
