This past weekend, Tennessee football star cornerback Jermod McCoy heard his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite some future injury concerns, the Las Vegas Raiders couldn’t pass up on his talents, taking him in the fourth round with the 101st overall pick.
How does McCoy fit in with his new team, though? ESPN lists McCoy as the backup cornerback on the right side of the defense. He’s behind Darien Porter on the depth chart, a third-round pick by Las Vegas in last year’s draft. He earned a 54.4 PFF grade for his rookie year.
On the other side, it’s Eric Stokes listed as the starter. He is entering his sixth NFL season and second with the Raiders. A year ago, he earned an impressive 74.3 grade. His backup is Chigozie Anusiem, who played in just three games as a rookie last year.
This means McCoy could take over a starting job early in his career. If he’s truly healthy and reaches his projection as a potential star, it could be sooner than later that he not just cracks the rotation, but is a featured piece of the Raiders’ defense alongside Anusiem.
A dream come true for Jermod. #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/WU4u72wp2o
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 25, 2026
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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, he suffered an ACL injury the following winter, holding him out for the entire 2025 season. It’s not his ACL that’s worrying teams, though. It’s the potential for another surgery stemming from the ACL reconstruction.
“For clarity, let’s talk about what this is and what this isn’t,” Tom Pelissero said on the NFL’s GMFB show. “It’s not the ACL that he had reconstructed. That graft has taken and the knee looks good in terms of the ACL itself. The concern is about a bone plug that was used to fix a cartilage defect. There is concern among at least some NFL team doctors that he is going to undergo, or need to undergo, a second surgery to replace that bone plug, which would be an extended type of recovery.”
Prior to his time with the Vols, the underrated recruit was a standout true freshman cornerback for Oregon State. He is from Whitehouse, Texas, the same area as Patrick Mahomes.
