Now just a couple of days ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, more and more questions are seeming to pop up about Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy. Just over 14 months ago now, McCoy tore his ACL during an offseason workout. The injury forced him to miss the entire 2025 season. Still, thanks to his elite 2024 season, NFL teams were still all over him heading into the offseason.
However, following last month’s NFL Combine, questions are still lingering about the long-term status of his knee. Teams have likely
known about this since the combine, but the media seemingly is catching up this week. According to a couple of reports, some teams have labeled McCoy’s knee issue as degenerative. Another report states that McCoy may need additional surgery to address a cartilage concern.
Again, this certainly isn’t news to NFL teams. They’ve all done their medical evaluations and have all of the information they need at this point. How many teams have him on or off their board will likely become pretty obvious by Thursday night. Could McCoy be in for a draft night slide? That almost seems likely at this point, but it only takes one team to pull the trigger.
Before this, McCoy was slated somewhere between picks 10 through 20. Now the possibility of him falling out of the first round seems to be very real.
McCoy instantly became Tennessee’s top corner in 2024 after transferring in from Oregon State. As a redshirt sophomore, McCoy always found a way to get his hands on the football, usually in the biggest spots. Interceptions against Oklahoma, Alabama and Vanderbilt truly turned those games around for the Volunteers, who went on to land a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The 6-1, 188 pound cornerback now becomes one of the most risk/reward players on the board — first round talent but immediate questions on availability and longevity.
