Following a trade, with Las Vegas swapping 102nd overall for 101st overall and adding a 2027 7th the Raiders selected Tennessee cornerback Jermond McCoy. I wasn’t assuming I’d be writing about McCoy for the Raiders, but they decided to stop the falling trend, and take McCoy who was projected as a top 15 selection just 4 days ago. The Raiders secondary features McCoy, Taron Johnson, Darien Porter, and Eric Stokes
Introduction:
Age: 20 Height: 6’0 Weight: 190 Stats: 75 tackles, TFL, 6 INT, 19 PBU, FR, 11.8% missed
tackle rate | 53% reception rate allowed (58/109), 806 yards, 6 TD, 72.6 QBR allowed | 8 penalties
Positional Splits:
- Boundary CB: 977 snaps
- Slot CB: 34 snaps
- Nickel Defender: 76 snaps
- FS: 18 snaps
RAS Testing:
- 4.39 40 (1.52 10-Split), 38 Vert, 10’07 Broad, 14 reps | 9.67 RAS
Positives:
McCoy has an excellent frame, and he has the ability to put on more muscle if needed. He is able to work in both man & zone coverage, but his best ability likely comes in zone at the NFL level, though he can turn and run exceptionally well in man coverage. McCoy has elite hip and lower body flexibility, his footwork is crisp, consistently, and there’s no wasted movements. He has a quick first step working backwards or forwards, his secondary step is the best in the class, and he shows long speed to turn and run downfield as well. He has an elite trigger, an ability to drive on the ball quickly, and his closing speed is incredible where McCoy shows a great ability to jump routes, close the gap, and utilize his instincts to read and react. McCoy has a great transition between his backpedal, and he shows exceptional ability to bail coverages and run on the concept. He’s patient, uses his frame to box out defenders, and McCoy uses the sideline well to knock defenders out of their concepts. He has exceptional change of direction ability, works well forward and backwards, and also uses his hands well through the rep. McCoy will play both the receiver & ball, which allows him to utilize what are high end ball skills at the NFL level. McCoy tracks the ball well, he’s able to read and react, and his ability to track over the shoulder is exceptional due to his baseball background as a centerfielder. McCoy tackles well, he has good form, takes good angles, and isn’t afraid to get aggressive in the open field either. McCoy has a high motor, he’s consistently working, and he’s been renowned for his character including in 2025 where he was on the sideline coaching his teammates. McCoy works with good balance, exceptional footwork, and he’s able to simply play throughout with low pads.
Weakness:
Injury, that’s pretty much the biggest weakness. McCoy missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL, and there’s concerns he’ll need a bone plug replaced which if not done well could end his career. Next few lines are medical wording, if you don’t care skip to the next bold part. A bone plug is essentially a part of bone and cartilage that is added to the knee during ACL surgeries to better stabilize the new knee and ligament. They have shown a 97% return to play rate for athletes, and those with torn ACL’s routinely don’t need them in any fashion. McCoy could but isn’t guaranteed to need a revision surgery. A revision would essentially remove the current bone plug, add a new one using the bone & cartilage in parts of his knee to help stabilize the ACL. They’ve not been done routinely, but have a 79% return to play rate across college, NFL, and baseball. Additionally, former Texans star Jadeveon Clowney suffered a similar injury, and has had cleanup surgeries through his career, but has carved out a 12 year career at a position where the knee is more frequently a cause for concern with contact. McCoy does have some concerns on a degenerative cartilage issue, which would of course cause issues with the bone plug made of cartilage, though there’s a way to utilize hip or shoulder cartilage, and/or stem cells to help stabilize the plug. Alright no more medicine, McCoy’s career could be done before his second contract, but he could also carve out a decade plus career. On the field, he’ll need to cut down penalties, and also show a little better hand usage on the LOS. He needs to stop being an arm tackler, where he’ll dive at the ankles, and I’d like to see his full body into the rep more often. Additionally, a big thing to help with the knee, is McCoy tends to land on one leg during his interceptions at times, and landing on two legs will do benefits to help stabilize the impact, similar to that of basketball players when they dunk.
Recap:
McCoy may never take an NFL snap, but he may also become an elite franchise cornerstone cornerback. McCoy is exceptional in every aspect of his game, his knee is a concern, and a really big one, but McCoy has all the traits to be an exceptional elite NFL CB. He was viewed as a top 15 prospect in the class, and to no surprise either. McCoy falling to the 4th was due to the injury, but if the Raiders trust their medical staff, and trust for him to return to play quickly, then McCoy can anchor the secondary for a long time. He’s physical, instinctual, and shows elite level ball skills which all translate. McCoy may never need another surgery, and if he does, it may not be in 2026.
Pro Comp: Jaycee Horn
Ceiling: All-Pro CB
Floor: Out of League in 3 years
Consensus: 13th
