Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy has been one of the most polarizing stories in the NFL Draft conversations leading into the event this weekend. No matter where you look, scouts and analysts love the game that he put on tape during the Vols’ 2024 season. That’s the issue, though; McCoy hasn’t played an in-game snap since tearing his ACL in January 2025.
Despite the injury, the Tennessee cornerback has still been projected as a first-round selection for basically a year now. He first landed as a first-round talent during way-too-early 2026 mock drafts last spring and has kept that standing for the last 12 months. And while he’s still technically projected as a first-round pick on Thursday, McCoy could see a slide based on previous projections.
Over the last few months, McCoy has been widely projected as a Top 10-20 selection. Many believed the ceiling was the Bengals at No. 10 and the floor was the Dallas Cowboys at No. 20. Ultimately, though, the average was probably more around pick No. 12. We’re now starting to see that projection drop in last-minute final mock drafts.
There’s also been some concerning reports around McCoy’s status. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says that while McCoy feels fine and ready to go, his sources say that teams’ main concern is around the long-term longevity of his knee’s health. Without naming names, Breer also says that every single team he’s talked to has said that McCoy’s knee remains a major concern.
NFL’s Tom Pelissero provided some important clarity on why teams are feeling the way they are about McCoy, despite him looking impressive during his Tennessee Pro Day on March 31 in Knoxville.
“For clarity, let’s talk about what this is and what this isn’t,” Pelissero said on the NFL’s GMFB show. “It’s not the ACL that he had reconstructed. That graft has taken and the knee looks good in terms of the ACL itself. The concern is about a bone plug that was used to fix a cartilage defect. There is concern among at least some NFL team doctors that is going to undergo, or need to undergo, a second surgery to replace that bone plug, which would be an extended type of recovery.”
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Pelissero goes on to state that while there are 32 teams with their own doctors, all it takes is one team that has a higher level of risk tolerance to take McCoy with a valuable pick. At the same time, though, Pelissero is watching for the potential of McCoy not just sliding back in the first round, but possibly sliding to a second-round pick entirely.
It wouldn’t be uncommon to see that happen, mainly because it happened last year. During Breer’s report on McCoy this week, he brought up a similar circumstance with former Michigan linebacker Will Johnson, who was originally thought of as a Top 10 pick until an injury forced him to slide to the middle of the second round.
If longevity is a bigger question than immediate readiness, perhaps a playoff-ready team is willing to take a chance on McCoy in the here and now, rather than a team that’s trying to assemble pieces for the future. But that’s the big issue. Without a legitimate medical report and only media reports to go off of, there’s just no good way to tell how teams are feeling about his short and long-term future.
We’ll just have to wait until draft day to find out.
McCoy is unquestionably one of the best prospects in the draft when healthy. His tape during the 2024 season is phenomenal as he helped lead Tennessee to the College Football Playoffs. But, at least right now, it doesn’t look like his on-field talent is what’s driving his draft stock.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live draft day coverage when the event kicks off on Thursday night.
