Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy is among the rare college football players gifted with elite ball skills. Despite having just two years of dedicated experience at the cornerback position, he is already viewed as one of the top defensive backs in the country.
McCoy revealed on Dec. 10 that he plans to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Jermod McCoy’s Coverage Skills Channel a Former Super Bowl Champion Defender
McCoy sat out the entire 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL during offseason workouts in January. The injury occurred more than one year ago, and he is projected to be fully cleared for workouts ahead of the draft.
PFSN analyst Ian Cummings has McCoy going No. 13 overall to the Los Angeles Rams in his 2026 seven-round mock draft.
“Jermod McCoy hasn’t played since 2024, but that 2024 tape was good enough for him to still field first-round capital even without an encore,” Cummings wrote. “The medical check at the NFL Combine is the biggest remaining hurdle for McCoy, but if he passes that test, there’s no reason he can’t go top-15.
“McCoy distinguishes himself as a playmaker and turnover threat at the catch, but his coverage mobility is truly special. In particular, his acute angle freedom, 270-degree hip sink, and transition efficiency overtop breaks echo the prime Darius Slay.”
Being compared with Slay is a great thing, as he won Super Bowl 59 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Meanwhile, prospects coming off a torn ACL and a missed season rarely get selected this high, but McCoy’s four-interception season in 2024 did enough to convince evaluators of his talent. He was even projected as a top-10 pick and the first cornerback off the board at one point over the summer. He entered 2025 as a Thorpe Award candidate and a preseason first-team All-American after earning second-team honors as a sophomore in 2024.
During that sophomore season, McCoy started all 13 games at cornerback and led Tennessee with 13 passes defended and nine pass breakups. His 13 passes defended ranked fourth in the SEC and fourth nationally among underclassmen, marking the most by a Volunteer since Theo Jackson recorded 13 in 2021. He also totaled 44 tackles, the third-highest mark on the team.
McCoy recorded 31 tackles and two interceptions in 12 games as a freshman at Oregon State. His strong debut season boosted his profile before he transferred to Tennessee. The Vols concluded the 2025 season ranked No. 79Â in the PFSN College Football Defense Impact Metric.
McCoy was a three-star recruit from rural East Texas and played both sides of the ball. As a senior in 2022, he caught 57 passes for 784 yards and 8 touchdowns while also contributing 28 tackles and two interceptions in the secondary. He also excelled in track and field, particularly in the triple jump, qualifying for the Texas 5A regionals as a junior.
