The Dallas Cowboys shockingly released starting cornerback Trevon Diggs near the end of the 2025 season. Diggs, who has two Pro Bowl selections on his resume, has been hobbled by several injuries and inconsistent play in recent seasons.
As a result, the Cowboys need to find a replacement to start at corner. In a recent mock draft, one analyst has them landing what could be the perfect player to replace Diggs.
Cowboys Target Secondary Help With Jermod McCoy in Latest Projection
PFSN’s own Reese Decker recently published an updated three-round mock draft. In Decker’s mock, the Cowboys draft Tennessee Volunteers cornerback Jermod McCoy with the No. 12 pick in the first round of the 2026 draft.
Regarding this selection, Decker offered the following analysis:
“Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys aggressively worked to improve the defensive front through trades and free agency, giving them the flexibility to address the secondary with this pick. Jermod McCoy is a confident, physical, and sticky corner who would immediately add some edge to Christian Parker’s new defense.”
As Decker mentioned, the Cowboys already tried to improve the defensive front through trades and free agency, so it seems like the secondary is the next spot to be dealt with.
Diggs was once considered a franchise-building block for the Cowboys. The corner earned back-to-back Pro Bowl bids in 2021 and 2022 but struggled to stay on the field after that point. PFSN’s CB Impact metric gave Diggs a poor 60.6 grade for his 2025 performance.
McCoy is considered one of the best corner prospects in this class, which is impressive considering McCoy didn’t even play in 2025. The corner suffered a torn ACL during the 2024 season, but his play from that season was elite.
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In 2024, McCoy played in 13 games and recorded 44 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 9 pass deflections. The corner is extremely physical, but also quick enough to keep up with speedy receivers on the outside.
In the Cowboys, McCoy would join DaRon Bland and free-agent addition Cobie Durant in the cornerback room, seemingly raising the floor for what was a bad group in 2025. The Cowboys had an elite offense last season, but failed to make the playoffs because they also owned the league’s worst defense.
PFSN’s Defense Impact metric gave the team a 62.1 grade, and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was fired after just one season. To address defensive issues, the team has added talented players such as Rashan Gary, Jalen Thompson, and Cobie Durant this offseason.
The Cowboys desperately need a young, defensive building block like McCoy. Even if McCoy is off the board, it still seems likely that the team will go defense in the first round.
