Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy is officially heading to the National Football League. McCoy was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 101st overall pick during the fourth round on Friday night in Pittsburgh. McCoy was the first selection on Saturday.
McCoy is the 20th Tennessee player selected to the NFL Draft from the Josh Heupel era in Knoxville and the first Vol drafted on Saturday afternoon. He’s also the fourth NFL-drafted cornerback that Heupel has produced at Tennessee, alongside Alontae Taylor (2022), Kamal Hadden (2024), and Colton Hood (2026).
The Raiders kick off day 3 by picking Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy 🔥
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McCoy is Tennessee’s third selection this draft behind CB Colton Hood at No. 37 to the Giants and WR Chris Brazzell at No. 83 to the Panthers. The Raiders have had four picks this draft, including No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, S Treydan Stukes, EDGE Keyron Crawford, and C Trey Zuhn III.
He was the 13th cornerback selected in the draft behind LSU’s Mansoor Delane (No. 6, KC Chiefs), San Diego State’s Chris Johnson (No. 27, Miami Dolphins), Tennessee’s Colton Hood (No. 37, NY Giants), Clemson’s Avieon Terrell (No. 48, Atlanta Falcons), Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds (No. 50, NY Jets), South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse (No. 52, GB Packers), Ohio State’s Davison Igbinosun (No. 62, Buffalo Bills), Washington’s Tacario Davis (No. 72, Bengals), Georgia’s Daylen Everette (No. 85, Steelers), Arkansas’ CB Julian Neal (No. 99, Seahawks), and Maryland’s Jalen Huskey (No. 100, Jaguars)
McCoy originally began his career with Oregon State in 2023 before transferring to Tennessee in 2024. During his first year with the Vols, McCoy was a dynamic piece of UT’s secondary and helped lead Tennessee to the College Football Playoffs. He was a game-changing player for the Vols against SEC competition, racking up 44 tackles, seven pass deflections, and four interceptions.
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The biggest storyline around McCoy has been his availability, though. Just one month after the Vols’ loss in the CFP, McCoy tore his ACL in January 2025. That injury forced the six-foot cornerback to miss the entire 2025 season with Tennessee. McCoy did not participate in any on-field drills during the NFL Combine, but he did do on-field activities during Tennessee’s Pro Day in late March. McCoy ran the 40-yard dash and did position drills involving cutting and lateral movement.
When healthy, McCoy is one of the most talented players in the entire draft class. He provides sticky coverage on the outside, has a great nose for the football, and is both physical and quick. The issue has been the health, though. Leading up to Thursday’s first round, reports came out that some teams have been skeptical about his long-term health with his knee. But Las Vegas was clearly willing to take its shot, feeling like it can capitalize on McCoy’s immense skill set in the secondary.
McCoy is undoubtedly one of the best cornerbacks in the entire 2026 draft field, and the Raiders are now welcoming him to Sin City.
Here’s a look at what Jermod McCoy was able to do during the 2024 football season with Tennessee:
