Jermod McCoy ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at his March 31 Pro Day, which marked the first time he sprinted at full speed in front of a public audience since tearing his ACL in a January 2025 training session. Tennessee announced the time as 4.37; some scout stopwatches had him at 4.38. Either number would have ranked among the top three cornerback times at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, had he run it in Indianapolis.
He added a 38-inch vertical and a 10-foot-7 broad jump, and worked through on-field drills without a limiter. The physical recovery from the ACL tear, as of Pro Day, was no longer in question.
The draft evaluation, unfortunately, has gotten more complicated since then.
Jermod McCoy’s 2026 NFL Draft Medical Concerns
Over the past two weeks, multiple NFL insiders have reported that teams have red-flagged McCoy’s knee at his medical recheck. Some of those teams could take him off their board entirely; others could grade him down half a round to a full round.
Connor Hughes of SNY confirmed that four different teams flagged the knee, and that one team has removed him from their board. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network added specifics: the ACL itself is healing, but the concern is a bone plug used to repair a cartilage defect in the knee.
Some doctors who have seen the scans believe McCoy may need another surgery to replace that bone plug, which would require an extensive recovery. Pelissero called McCoy a “top 10 talent” who might not go in that range or even in the first round.
McCoy himself has said at the Combine that he has “no limits” on the work he can do at this stage of the process, and the Pro Day backed that up. Tennessee cleared him to return in 2025, but he chose not to play because he “didn’t feel ready.” The Pro Day was the reward for a conservative rehab calendar built around getting him to this moment healthy.
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Medical opinions differ team by team since there is no central body to govern NFL physicals. Some clubs are willing to tolerate more long-term risk than others, especially for a player they view as a potential lockdown cornerback. That is the variable that is now driving McCoy’s draft night.
Jermod McCoy’s 2026 NFL Draft Projection
McCoy entered the pre-draft process with top-10 talent and a first-round grade on his 2024 tape. He was a first-team All-SEC selection and second-team AP All-American as a sophomore at Tennessee, posting 44 tackles, four interceptions and nine pass breakups while allowing just one touchdown pass in 640 coverage snaps.
The mock draft range, as of draft week, has widened significantly. According to PFSN’s Mock Draft Simulator user data, McCoy’s current ADP is at 14.4. Despite the new injury concerns, he was still projected to be a first-round pick. However, with Round 3 starting, he has still yet to be picked.
Listed at 6-foot and 193 pounds, McCoy is the kind of outside corner who can play press-man at the top of a defense without needing help over the top. That is the projection every team that still has him on their board is buying.
