One of the most exciting days of the offseason is officially here, merging the college football world and the NFL world for a glorious three-day stretch as more than 250 young prospects await their names to be called at the 2026 NFL Draft. The first round will take place on Thursday night, followed by rounds two and three on Friday night. The final four rounds of the draft will take place on Saturday afternoon.
If you’ve been following RTI throughout the month, you’ve known that we’ve hit pretty much every Tennessee-related first-round storyline there is. From Jermod McCoy’s potential slide to Colton Hood’s sustained rise to fringe status, this certainly won’t be a night without a bit of drama for Tennessee fans watching.
The short of it is this: After being widely projected as a Top 15 pick throughout the offseason, McCoy is plummeting on draft boards this week after red flag medical reports have been popping up from industry voices such as Tom Pelissero. There’s still a chance that McCoy keeps his first-round status, but it probably won’t be as high as the projections have been over the last month. There’s also a chance he falls out of the first round entirely.
Colton Hood, meanwhile, sort of benefits from the uncertainty around McCoy. The original thought around the media was that LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy were the definitive top two cornerbacks, followed by a group of players contending for that CB3 spot. But with McCoy now questionable for many, Hood has been one of the beneficiaries of jumping up to being the No. 2 corner taken in the draft. It’s still typically been projected at the back end, but the media likes his chances for going in the first round.
Here’s a look at McCoy and Hood’s landing spots in six of the biggest final mock drafts to come out in the 48 hours leading into the draft:
CB Jermod McCoy
ESPN‘s Field Yates and Mel Kiper Jr.: Not listed
ESPN‘s Matt Miller and Jeremy Fowler: No. 22, Los Angeles Chargers
NFL‘s Daniel Jeremiah: Not listed
CBS Sports‘ Ryan Wilson: Not listed
ESPN’s Peter Schrager: No. 30, Miami Dolphins
Yahoo Sports‘ Nate Tice and Charles McDonald: No. 12, Dallas Cowboys
CB Colton Hood
ESPN’s Field Yates and Mel Kiper Jr.: No. 29, Kansas City Chiefs
ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jeremy Fowler: No. 30, Miami Dolphins
NFL’s Daniel Jeremiah: No. 18, Minnesota Vikings
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson: No. 29, Kansas City Chiefs
ESPN’s Peter Schrager: Not listed
Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice and Charles McDonald: Not listed
More From RTI: NFL Expert Provides Update on Teams’ Major Concerns For Tennessee Cornerback Jermod McCoy
The NFL Draft will kick off with the first round on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for full coverage of Tennessee’s NFL hopefuls.
