Former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy is moving to the 20s with his NFL jersey number. The Raiders announced that McCoy will be wearing No. 28 with Las Vegas moving forward.
McCoy wore No. 23 during his first season of collegiate football with Oregon State. He then switched to No. 3 during his two years with the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. At Whitehouse High School in East Texas, McCoy wore No. 0 while playing both cornerback and wide receiver.
Looks good already.
The 2026 draft picks have received their jersey numbers.
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— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 29, 2026
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McCoy was selected with the 101st overall pick in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft last weekend in Philadelphia. He was projected as a potential first-round player throughout the pre-draft process, but slid down in the draft as some teams had concerns about the health of his knee. While McCoy missed the Vols’ 2025 season due to an ACL tear, some in the league felt like another surgery could be required.
Still, though, Las Vegas felt like the value was too good to pass up with the first pick of the fourth round last Saturday.
McCoy addressed his health and future during a post-draft press conference with the Raiders.
“All my doctors that did my surgery, they told me I’m good,” McCoy said. “I feel like I’m good, but I mean, if there’s something that they’re wanting me to do for the longevity of my career, I’m willing to do that. I’m going to listen to the team, because I feel like they have my best interest for me. So, honestly, just whatever the team’s plan for me is, I’m going to do that.”
We’ll find out about McCoy’s future plans in the near future, but there’s plenty of talent surrounding the Day 3 pick for Las Vegas. During his 2024 season with Tennessee, McCoy was an instrumental figure in helping the Volunteers reach the College Football Playoffs. He tallied 44 tackles, seven pass deflections, and four interceptions while locking up some of the SEC’s best wideouts.
McCoy will have a familiar face around him during his time in Vegas. The Raiders selected former Tennessee wide receiver Dont’e Thornton in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and the McCoy pickup last weekend will reunite the former UT teammates. McCoy is excited to be back around a player who helped him grow on the field during the Vols’ 2024 campaign.
“We’ve got a good relationship,” McCoy said about Thornton. “He had just texted me, ‘reunited again, back in the same locker room.’ Be cool with each other again and all that. Getting to go against him again in practice (at Tennessee), I feel like me and Dont’e, me and him would battle every day. We made each other way better, I feel like, throughout that season. He’s part of the reason why I had the season I had, just guarding him every day and making me better. And then, I feel like the same with me. Him having to go against me, I’m making him also better. I think doing that again is just going to improve both of our games.”
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