Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy is looking forward to a strong career in the NFL; however, injury concerns are forcing his dreams onto the back foot. With the draft scheduled to start on Thursday, McCoy’s stock isn’t looking as good as he’d like, as teams weigh the potential impact of his health.
Jermod McCoy Gets Bad News Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
McCoy’s knee issues have been around for a while now. He first tore his ACL during offseason practice in January 2025, ruling him out for last season.
By early 2026, he was cleared to return to football activities, but while he declared himself fully recovered ahead of pre-draft workouts, a defective cartilage in his knee raised new concerns about his long-term durability in the NFL.
Arye Pulli reported on the matter on Monday: “An update on Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy, via Tom Pelissero: Doctors are concerned that he will need another surgery to replace a bone plug used to repair a cartilage defect in his knee. The concerns are NOT about his surgically repaired ACL.”
The fact that the issue is unrelated to his repaired ACL certainly provides some relief, given the significant impact ACL damage can have on players’ careers. However, Dr. Jesse Morse, who also specializes in sports injuries, offered a broad overview of the implications of this potential surgery.
“This would be a potentially significant surgery and would likely knock them out for the entire year,” Morse posted on X. “The expert at doing these is Dr. Dan Cooper, who happens to be the team doctor for the Dallas Cowboys… Several NFL players have had their surgery and have had very successful careers afterwards.”
Jermod McCoy
This would be a potentially significant surgery and would likely knock them out for the entire year.
The expert at doing these is Dr. Dan Cooper, who happens to be the team doctor for the Dallas Cowboys
Several NFL players have had their surgery and have had very… https://t.co/0Twkzol0wg
— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) April 21, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals icon Vontaze Burfict underwent a similar operation in 2015 and continued to produce at a similar level afterward.
Former running back Melvin Gordon underwent microfracture surgery after his rookie season, which didn’t hamper a very productive NFL career. He finished his nine years in the league with 1,593 carries for 6,543 yards and 56 touchdowns.
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While it’s a common procedure that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a pro career, McCoy will have to tread carefully with his knee, given his ACL history.
However, if he maintains his health, he should have a successful foray in the NFL. According to PFSN’s CFB CB Impact Metric, McCoy had an impact score of 87.9 in 2024, ranking 36th at his position in college football.
PFSN’s scouting report on McCoy further highlights how good the Tennessee product is when he is healthy.
“He’s an instant closer off his plant-and-drive, and a fleet-footed and fluid short-area mover with easy matching athleticism,” the report noted. “In press, he can stay square and dictate releases with physicality, and he’s a smooth mover in zone with tremendous throttle control, vision, and reactive coil overtop route breaks.”
It’ll be interesting to see how NFL teams read into the youngster’s injury history.
