The wait is over.
Jermod McCoy is finally off the board, selected at 101st overall with the first pick of the fourth round. After being projected as a first-round pick throughout the entire draft process, reports flagged McCoy’s medicals, causing a slide to day three.
He joins Dont’e Thornton in Vegas as the second Vol on the Raiders.
McCoy missed his junior season with a torn right ACL, but has two seasons of collegiate play under his belt, one at Oregon State and his sophomore season at Tennessee.
In his lone year on the field at Tennessee, McCoy earned seven pass deflections while grabbing four interceptions.
It was never a question that McCoy had the talent to be among the best in the draft in terms of defensive talent, but the injury to his right knee caused some speculation among teams that called into question his availability, among other things.
“Rarely do you find true blue-chip cornerbacks, and when one falls to you, it’s an easy decision to take them off the board,” the anonymous AFC South area scout said in an ESPN article. “So I’ll take McCoy with the belief that his knee is good long term and that he’ll be back to the player we saw in 2024, when he was the best cornerback in the nation.”
According to ESPN’s NFL Draft big board, McCoy lands as the 16th-ranked prospect in the draft, the second-highest corner in the draft. He fell behind Mansoor Delane, who was selected No. 6 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs.
He attended the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis earlier in the offseason, despite not participating in on-field drills.
“I feel great,” McCoy said at the draft combine. “I made a big impact the year that I played. I just feel like my ability to make plays, that’s what I’m gonna continue to do.”
Despite the projections, McCoy fell to the fourth round and wasn’t even the first Vol defensive back to have his name called — with Colton Hood going to the New York Giants at No. 37 on Friday.
Instead, on March 31, 2025, he let his talent shine at Tennessee’s pro day, where he posted a 4.37 40-yard dash, a 38-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot-7 broad jump.
“Looked like Jermod out there today. From his 40 to the vertical jump, did a great job testing, which we all anticipated, Josh Heupel said on Pro Day. “Great to see him back at 100%. Dealing with the adversity of last year and everything that he had to do to get back, just really proud of how he handled that process and ultimately how he performed today and set himself up to have a great draft day.”
Those numbers kept his talent in check, showing the speed never disappeared, even with the knee injury.
Projection-wise, entering the draft, McCoy was projected to land anywhere from the top 10 all the way to No. 32 at the end of the first round. Yet the front offices around the NFL seemed to be wary of the injury history,
Over his career, McCoy has collected six total interceptions, 75 total tackles and 14 pass deflections.
