Former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy is poised to be the first Volunteer off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft this spring. But that doesn’t mean his landing spot is easy to project, though. McCoy has been one of the most fascinating, highly talked-about players in the entire draft class this year due to his ongoing injury recovery and his superb playmaking talent on the field.
When looking at talent alone, only a handful of prospects have the NFL-ready skillset that McCoy has. But the wrench in the matter is that McCoy hasn’t been seen on a game field since the 2024 collegiate season. He tore his ACL in January 2025, which sidelined him for the Volunteers’ entire season last fall.
Still, though, McCoy has been widely projected as a Top 15 pick in the NFL Draft this spring. His injury taking place 15 months ago is significantly different than an injury that may have occurred during the season, but there are still question marks about what he’ll look like when he returns to the field after a full year on the sideline.
McCoy went to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis earlier in the month but did not participate in on-field drills. He’s instead saving his on-field workout for the Tennessee Pro Day on March 31 in Knoxville. McCoy’s lack of participation definitely raised some red flags for some analysts around the league, but he’ll have every chance to prove himself on campus at the end of the month.
The continued uncertainty of what McCoy’s true status is makes it hard to identify an expected landing spot, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The NFL Draft expert has McCoy ranked as his 15th-best prospect in the draft class, but says that McCoy’s injury uncertainty makes it hard to predict exactly where he’ll go in the first round.
“McCoy has only two years of tape to work with, as he sat out the 2025 season after tearing his ACL last January. His lone season at Tennessee in 2024 was outstanding, showcasing the totality of his 77-inch wingspan with seven pass breakups and four interceptions. He is a confident man-to-man coverage player with terrific balance, patience and ball skills,” Yates writes. “McCoy is at his best blanketing perimeter wideouts who want to stretch the field vertically; he’s a big-play neutralizer on his own. Until he works out for scouts at his pro day, it’s going to difficult to peg where he actually gets picked. But right now, I’ve got him tapped as the top cornerback in this class.”
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While he didn’t participate in the NFL Combine, McCoy still told ESPN reporters that he was feeling good to go moving forward.
“I’ve been doing everything,” McCoy said about his process to return to the field. “I wanted to get out here, but I just want to make sure I’m putting the best thing out. I’ve been doing a lot of training back in OC, so I’m just going to put the best thing out in front of all the scouts.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. tagged McCoy to go 12th overall to the Dallas Cowboys during his NFL mock draft update after the first wave of the free agency frenzy last week.
“McCoy doesn’t come without questions; he tore an ACL in January 2025, sat out the season and then didn’t work out at the combine,” Kiper writes. “But he can flat-out play when he’s on the field. McCoy had four interceptions in 2024. If Dallas likes what it sees at his March 31 pro day, this could be a smart pick.”
A strong showing at the Tennessee Pro Day later this month could relieve many of the doubts and fears that some NFL front offices might have about the former Volunteer cornerback. We’ll just have to wait and see how everything plays out.
The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft will take place on Thursday, Apr. 23, in Pittsburgh.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for full coverage of Tennessee Football’s Pro Day event on Mar. 31 in Knoxville.
