How a Top Prospect Might Have Put Himself Back Into Play for Miami

Draft month is officially here, and before you know it, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be reading who the Miami Dolphins are selecting at pick 11.

An intriguing prospect with a good chance of being available at that spot is Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy. He participated in Tennessee’s Pro Day on Tuesday and put together an impressive outing. His 40-yard dash time was a sub-4.4, and he recorded a 38-inch vertical jump.

Many eyes were on McCoy, given that he missed the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL. On top of that, McCoy decided not to participate in drills at the NFL combine. With this display of fluid movement and athleticism at his Pro Day, McCoy put people on notice, showing that his athletic ability has not been hindered.

Granted, there always should be a level of concern with taking a player recovering from an injury that had him sidelined for over a year. In the case of the Dolphins, this must come into play given that this regime has banked on building this team from the draft, as they currently have 11 picks in total.

Miami must be certain that this type of injury won’t hinder McCoy’s ability and he can flourish and grow as a player down the road.

On the bright side, McCoy played 13 games in 2024 and 12 games in 2023, showing no signs of constant injuries.

Hafley and Sullivan Talk Cornerbacks

Head coach Jeff Hafley and General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan both addressed the cornerback position in recent media sessions.

As a defensive mind, Hafley broke down what he specifically looks at when evaluating the cornerback position.

“There's three levels of play that I want to see if they can win at,” Hafley said at the owners meetings in Arizona. “One is the line of scrimmage. I call that Level 1. Can he win at the line? Can he press, can he make a guy stop and start his feet? Can he use his hands? Is he quick enough to change direction, right? Can he take good cutoff angles? When a guy steps out and goes in, is he fast enough to come back inside? So, can he win there? Level 2 is all the intermediate routes, all the in breaks, the digs, the comebacks. Can he drop his hips and accelerate out of his cuts? Or is he a high-hip guy that can't do that, and maybe he doesn't have to do that because he can win so well at the line of scrimmage? And then Level 3 is, can he win down the field? Can he make a play down the field?”

Sullivan took the approach of evaluating what the Dolphins currently have on the roster.

“I like who’s on the roster,” Sullivan said during his session with the South Florida reporters who traveled to Arizona. “Those guys would all tell you no one has established themselves for whatever reason, whether it’s injury or inconsistent play. We are going to put them in a bag and shake them up and see who ... wins the job. I’m going to do everything in my power if there’s one available that’s a stud, I’m going to go get them.”

In a plethora of prospect rankings, many have McCoy listed as one of the three best cornerbacks in the draft. Another player who’s in that category is LSU’s Mansoor Delane, who has been mocked to the Dolphins a fair amount.

The Dolphins met with McCoy at the combine and later also met with Delane, according to reports.

It’s obvious that a cornerback is one of the many positions that the Dolphins need to bolster, and using the 11th pick on a player at that position is a distinct possibility.

And with his Pro Day performance, McCoy just might have put himself in the middle of that conversation.