NFL Draft Profile: Bru McCoy, Wide Receiver, Tennessee Volunteers
In this story:
#4
Pos: WR
Ht: 6026
Wt: 220
40: 4.67
DOB: 6/22/2000
Hometown: Palos Verdes, CA
High School: Mater Dei
Eligibility: 2023
Bru McCoy
Tennessee Volunteers
One-Liner:
A high-risk, high-reward prospect, Bru McCoy has the size and athletic ability to be a difference-maker in the NFL. To reach that point, he must significantly refine his game.
Evaluation:
After an unorthodox and hectic journey to the Trojans’ roster, the prize of USC’s 2019 recruiting class finally saw the field in cardinal and gold in 2020. Bru McCoy is a talented receiver whose game is centered around his enticing mix of height, weight and speed. The big-bodied pass-catcher has potential as a legitimate vertical threat thanks to his impressive linear burst and long speed for his size. Currently an unrefined route runner, McCoy has shown potential. He uses his size to his advantage and is capable of consistently separating with push-offs. What’s more, McCoy has clean and sudden change of direction ability. As a result, he can string together cuts as a route runner. The former five-star recruit maintains a uniform route stem before snapping his breaks and gets his head around quickly in anticipation of the ball. At times, McCoy even employs head fakes, body language and jab steps to sell his routes. In his releases, the one-time Texas Longhorn displays quick feet to freeze defenders before exploding to capitalize on their hesitation. At the catch point, McCoy uses his frame to shield the ball and does not lose focus through contact. Consequently, he should be able to use his large frame to compensate for any difficulty separating as he develops. After the catch, McCoy is both shifty and powerful. He plays with excellent contact balance and leg drive to work through smaller defenders. As a blocker, McCoy flashes dominance. Although the Trojan standout is still developing, he can contribute on special teams as a returner and gunner while he learns. While the talented USC receiver has impressive athletic traits, he currently lacks the technical refinement to contribute in the NFL. McCoy’s lack of experience entering the 2021 season has led to various technical issues in his game. For example, he is an extremely raw route runner whose route tree at USC is fairly limited. The athletic pass-catcher fails to drop his hips into his breaks and often opts not to sell his routes. What’s more, he has trouble separating from physical corners and struggles to work through contact. McCoy exacerbates these issues by regularly surrendering his chest to defensive backs and failing to fight hands in his routes. At the line of scrimmage, the receiver has very little experience beating press. At the catch point, McCoy exhibits inconsistent hands. He tends to fight the ball in the air or trap the ball against his chest. As a blocker, the physical pass-catcher regularly plays with improper technique and whiffs. While McCoy is athletic, he does struggle with the same limitations most big receivers have. Although his long speed is impressive for his size, he cannot win deep purely off his linear athleticism. Additionally, his underwhelming lateral agility may limit his development. A high-risk, high-reward prospect, Bru McCoy has the size and athletic ability to be a difference-maker in the NFL. To reach that point, he must significantly refine his game. He should be able to contribute on special teams while he learns. McCoy’s best fit will be in a vertical passing offense.
Grade:
5th Round
Background:
Born Horace McCoy III to parents Horace and Shelby, this USC standout was a star at high school powerhouse Mater Dei. Bru McCoy derived his name from a nickname his grandmother gave him, “Bruiser.” The talented receiver was born into an athletic family. Horace McCoy II played football at Northern Illinois; Shelby was an All-American volleyball player at Northern Illinois. The USC receiver stood out nearly every year he played at Mater Dei. As a sophomore, McCoy made the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Sophomores first team. The next year, he was named to the MaxPreps Junior All-American second team, the USA Today All-California second team, the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Juniors first team, the All-CIF Division 1 and the Orange County Register All-Orange County third team. While McCoy was, at this point, more decorated than most high school athletes ever become, his senior year was flooded with accolades. He was named the 2018 Maxwell Football Club Offensive National High School Player of the Year, Cal-Hi Sports California Mr. Football, All-CIF Division 1 Offensive Player of the Year, Los Angeles Times All-Area Player of the Year, Orange County Register Offensive Player of the year and Max Preps National Player of the Year. McCoy also made the USA Today All-USA first team, the PrepStar Deam Team, the Max Preps All-American first team, the Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, the USA Today All-California first team, the Cal-HI Sports All-State first team and the Orange County Register Fab 15. After his incredibly decorated high school career, McCoy was ranked by 247Sports Composite Rankings as a five-star recruit. The same service listed him as the 9th-best recruit in the nation, the 1st-ranked athlete recruit in the country and the 2nd-overall recruit in the state of California. Despite being one of USC’s highest-profile incoming freshmen in recent years, McCoy’s process of deciding to play for the Trojans overshadowed the decision itself. The talented receiver committed to USC to play for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. After the former Texas Tech coach left to work as head coach for the Arizona Cardinals, McCoy transferred to the University of Texas. The high school phenom participated in spring practices with the Longhorns before returning to USC. McCoy redshirted his 2019 season before finally finding the field for the Trojans in 2020. He is a political science major in USC’s Dana and Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. McCoy was suspended from the USC football program following his July 2021 arrest for intimate partner violence with injury (a felony).
