How Raiders Should Handle Rookie CB Jermod McCoy

One of the biggest questions to arise following the Las Vegas Raiders' draft haul concerned their plans for rookie cornerback Jermod McCoy. The rookie's talent is unquestionable, but whether or not he can stay healthy long enough to make an impact for the Raiders.

McCoy's Development

The Raiders will have to decide whether to have McCoy have surgery for the knee issue that caused him to fall so far down in the draft or let him play through his rookie season without it. It is the most significant question of his young professional career. The decision that is made will shape his career.

Las Vegas' front office has had a plan for everything else this offseason. They undoubtedly have one for McCoy, after trading up in the fourth round to select him. McCoy is a first-round talent when healthy. Still, how healthy he is or is not, remains to be seen.

Once he is deemed healthy by the Raiders, he should play as much as possible during the regular season, as early as possible. Assuming he stays healthy, Las Vegas has nothing to lose and a lot to potentially gain by getting him valuable experience in a season with few expectations for the team.

The Raiders selected McCoy without investing all that much relative to his upside. If he stays healthy and plays well, the Raiders could get years of solid play out of McCoy. He is the definition of a low-risk, high-reward addition for Las Vegas. He could turn into a significant piece for them.

McCoy Was Steal of a Pick

McCoy's addition, especially if he stays healthy, must be remembered in combination with other moves the Raiders made, such as drafting cornerback Darien Porter last offseason and fellow rookie corner Hezekiah Masses. If all three cornerbacks stay healthy and produce, the Raiders would be set.

Las Vegas desperately needs serviceable cornerbacks, as its group of corners ranks among the worst in the league. Vice President of Player Personnel Brandon Hunt explained that the Raiders' front office was excited to land McCoy, especially in the fourth round.

“Confidence was not a problem. We felt good about it at where we took him, and it was an opportunity to get value. This is probably arguably the best corner in the draft, and we feel like we have great, great people and a great process to make sure we get the best out of this player," Hunt said shortly after the final night of the draft.

"That was the thing that had us most excited about moving up one pick. We say it all the time, you go into day two, you go into day three at the top where we are, people have time to kind of chew on it overnight, and we felt like this was a player that 32 teams or so we're going to look at and he'd be the same guy up on the board that kind of stuck out like a green thumb. We didn't want to take a chance on missing on him."

The Raiders plan to develop several players slowly, including No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. This is likely the case, in part, because there are no realistic expectations that Las Vegas will make a playoff push this upcoming season.

Should Las Vegas' medical staff determine that McCoy needs surgery, that is clearly the route they should take. However, if he can play, the Raiders must give him all the playing time he can reasonably expect as a rookie, if not more, given Las Vegas' dire need for talented cornerbacks.

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