The first round of the NFL Draft came and went on Thursday night with no Tennessee players being selected in the 32 picks. It came as a bit of a surprise. Not a complete and utter shock, but a surprise nonetheless. The two Tennessee players who were in contention to go in the first round were Tennessee cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood.
Ultimately, only two cornerbacks went in the first round, and one of them was a Top 10 lock. LSU’s Mansoor Delane went sixth overall to the Kansas City Chiefs, while San Diego State’s Chris Johnson went 27th overall to the Miami Dolphins.
McCoy and Hood should both go on Friday. The question, though, is just how early both players will hear their names called. McCoy’s status is shrouded in mystery. From a talent perspective, McCoy is one of the best pure players in the entire draft class, but medical red flags seem to be pushing him down draft boards. Hood, on the other hand, was primarily looked at as a fringe first-round player based on his talent. Some mock drafts had him sneaking into the tail end of the first round, while others had him in the first handful of picks in the second round.
ESPN’s NFL Draft board has McCoy as the best available player and Hood as the 8th-best available player heading into the second round on Friday night.
In the immediate hours after the first round, ESPN’s Matt Miller posted his second-round mock draft predictions. He’s got both McCoy and Hood going in the first nine picks of the second round.
The first UT player that Miller has going is McCoy at 37th overall to the New York Giants. The Giants had two Top 10 picks on Thursday night and took LB Arvell Reese 5th overall and OT Francis Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick. Some were surprised that New York didn’t go with safety Caleb Downs with either pick, but Miller has the Giants addressing the secondary with their third pick.
“McCoy ranked as my No. 10 overall prospect in the class based off film study, but questions surrounding the long-term health of his knee following an ACL injury in January 2025 caused him to slip,” Miller writes. “The Giants will jump on the opportunity to select a top-10 player at a core position of need.”
More From RTI: Tennessee Cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood Fall Out of the First Round of the NFL Draft
Four picks later, Miller has the Cincinnati Bengals taking Hood with the 41st overall pick. The Bengals originally had the 10th overall pick, but traded it to the Giants in exchange for DL Dexter Lawrence earlier in the week. Hood would be the Bengals’ first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“The Bengals watched Dexter Lawrence II highlights Thursday night after trading the No. 10 pick, but are now on the clock with a good group of cornerbacks still available,” Miller writes. “Hood is the draft’s most aggressive corner and gives Cincinnati size on the outside of the defense.”
McCoy and Hood are the only UT players that Miller has going in the second round on Friday night, but he does have another former Vol going at the tail end of the third round. Miller has Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell going 97th overall to the Minnesota Vikings with the fourth-to-last pick of the third round.
Another player to watch on Friday is EDGE rusher Joshua Josephs. The former Vol has widely been projected as a fourth-round pick, but perhaps he could move up to the third round if things go his way.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football draft news throughout the weekend.
