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Jermod McCoy has finally found his NFL home.
After failing to hear his name called over the first two days of the 2026 NFL draft, McCoy was selected by the Raiders with the first selection of the fourth round. Las Vegas traded up one spot—from pick No. 102 to 101—with the Bills to grab him, attaching a 2027 seventh-round pick to make the deal happen.
Despite being considered one of the top cornerback prospects in this year’s class, McCoy carries with him an injury concern that ultimately contributed to his draft weekend fall. The 20-year-old tore his right ACL during an offseason workout shortly after the conclusion of Tennessee’s 2024 season. McCoy sat out the entirety of the 2025 campaign, with his last appearance for the Volunteers coming in their ’24 College Football Playoff loss to Ohio State.
McCoy has since fully recovered from knee surgery, and even worked out at Tennessee’s Pro Day—where he ran a sub-4.4 40-yard dash. That said, as noted by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, it’s not his 2026 health that teams are concerned about, but rather “how long the knee will hold up.”
“This is not about the ACL itself,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added on Saturday morning, prior to McCoy being selected by the Raiders. “My understanding, from the doctors who have examined it, is that the ACL, that graph looks totally normal. It’s fine, it’s progressing well. The issue is a bone plug that was used for a cartilage defect in that same knee. The concern among many NFL medical officials is that he’ll need a second surgery to replace that bone plug.”
“It doesn’t mean that he cannot play in the 2026 season, Pelissero continued. “ … He feels completely good and doesn’t feel any ill effects. But when you’re projecting for the long-term and the possibility of even having to manage his reps, maybe having him miss some games at various points in the season, it’s a lot of risk—but at some point, the risk tolerance is going to meet the value.”
Clearly, Las Vegas found the risk tolerance worth it at the top of Round 4.
McCoy tallied 26 tackles and nine passes defensed in his final collegiate season with Tennessee and earned both second-team All-American and second-team All-SEC nods. He now joins a Raiders secondary led by defensive coordinator Rob Leonard under new head coach Klint Kubiak.
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MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.
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