Tennessee's Jermod McCoy Ranked as the Second-Best Pick in the NFL Draft

Former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy has been ranked as the second-best pick in the NFL draft.

The 2026 NFL drfat wrapped up this past weekend and one of the biggest surprises was where former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy landed in the draft. Dating back to last year, McCoy was projected a first round pick. However, he ultimately went to the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round.

McCoy suffered a torn ACL last offseason during a workout and it forced him to miss the entire 2025 season. Other medical concerns started to pop up ahead of the draft as some believe his ACL repair might need to be redone.

ESPN's Matt Miller ranked his 100-best draft picks from this year, and McCoy ranked number two on the list. Here is what Miller had to say:

Jermod McCoy Ranked as One of the Best Picks in the 2026 NFL Draft

Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy (3) before a college football game between Tennessee and UAB at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 20, 2025. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"There's always a really good player who slips due to injury," Miller wrote. "Ranked as my No. 10 overall prospect, McCoy fell to No. 101 based on concerns that a surgical procedure he had done following a January 2025 ACL tear might need to be redone. But McCoy was cleared to work out at Tennessee's pro day and excelled with a 40-yard dash time of 4.38 seconds. Las Vegas aggressively attacked its secondary needs, but getting McCoy here could be the weekend's biggest steal if he's healthy. It was a smart bet to make and shows that general manager John Spytek is correctly thinking about risk, value and potential."

It's a very low risk and potential high reward pick for the Raiders. They could potentially end up getting one of the best players in the draft class in the fourth round, and if it doesn't work out, then at least they only used a fourth round pick on him.

Prior to his injruy, McCoy was one of the naiton's best corners, and many were intirgued to see what he would do during the 2025 season. Some thought there would be an opportunity for McCoy to return at some point last season, but ultimately, he remained on the sideline in hopes of being 100 percent ready to go for the NFL draft.

McCoy started his career at Oregon State and then transferred to Tennessee ahead of the 2024 season. He finished his time at Tennessee with 44 total tackles and four interceptions.

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