The 2026 NFL Draft is right around the corner. On April 23, the first round will be held, with the remaining selections being called over the course of the following two days. In the seven-round draft, there are a handful of Tennessee football players expected to be picked. The question is just how high?
The projected first Vol off the board is cornerback Jermod McCoy. Though he didn’t play last season due to an ACL injury, his tape from the 2024 season has him considered as a potential top-10 pick.
According to a mock draft from ESPN, which tasked real NFL scouts across the league to make picks on behalf of teams they’re not associated with, McCoy projects as the No. 8 selection in the draft. This would send him to the New Orleans Saints.
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“Rarely do you find true blue-chip cornerbacks, and when one falls to you, it’s an easy decision to take them off the board,” the anonymous AFC South area scout said. “So I’ll take McCoy with the belief that his knee is good long term and that he’ll be back to the player we saw in 2024, when he was the best cornerback in the nation.”
In his first year with UT in 2024, McCoy managed 44 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. He came up with four interceptions, as well, including a one-handed snag against Ryan Williams of Alabama and a circus catch in the end zone at Vanderbilt.
However, in January of 2025, McCoy suffered an ACL injury that he wasn’t able to fully recover from in time for the season. He opted not to participate in drills during the NFL Scouting Combine, but did enough at UT’s Pro Day in front of scouts to help his stock.
