One of the big talking points the first two days of the draft was the fall of former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy. He was considered a first-round talent by many, but he ended up falling to the Las Vegas Raiders at the top of the fourth round due to serious injury concerns.
Not only could McCoy miss 2026 due to a possible surgery, but if he has the surgery, it could put his entire career at risk. It makes sense why teams wouldn’t take the risk in the first three rounds, but taking a chance on a possible All-Pro talent in the fourth round is a logical choice.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler gave some key insight into why McCoy fell. He also revealed that the Raiders are thinking that the cornerback will be able to play during his rookie season and hold off on undergoing surgery for now.
“After Day 2 of the draft, I checked with eight teams about Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy with a simple question: ‘Is he off your board?’ Medical concerns with his surgically repaired knee caused the top-10-to-12 talent to slide dramatically,” Fowler wrote. “Five said yes to the question; three said no. Las Vegas did extensive homework on the injury, and, at least as of now, the team is optimistic about his chances to play in 2026 and avoid a redshirt season or immediate surgery. Perhaps he needs a procedure sometime in the future, but the team is hopeful he can avoid that in the short term, with the caveat that it must get him in the building for the offseason program and see how he’s progressing.”
John Spytek Finally Sets His Vision
Last year was general manager John Spytek’s first chance to be the shot caller for an NFL Draft. However, he was paired with legendary head coach Pete Carroll.
While Spytek seemed to have final say on roster decisions, Carroll’s influence is strong. Some people around the NFL think that this was the year that Spytek was really able to see his vision through.
“One rival team exec on the Raiders: ‘This felt like John Spytek’s draft.’ That’s considered a good thing. Pete Carroll’s influence was heavy this time last year,” Fowler wrote.
McCoy Steal of Draft?
Fourth-round picks aren’t the most valuable asset, but impact players can be found. All-Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby was once a fourth-round pick.
If McCoy never plays or only plays one season, then the Raiders wasted a pick. But if he’s able to have a full career, it could go down as one of the best picks in the entire draft. For now, ESPN’s Matt Miller thinks the Raiders made a smart move and ranked the McCoy pick as the second-best in the entire class.
“There’s always a really good player who slips due to injury. Ranked as my No. 10 overall prospect, McCoy fell to No. 101 based on concerns that a surgical procedure he had done following a January 2025 ACL tear might need to be redone,” Miller wrote. “But McCoy was cleared to work out at Tennessee’s pro day and excelled with a 40-yard dash time of 4.38 seconds. Las Vegas aggressively attacked its secondary needs, but getting McCoy here could be the weekend’s biggest steal if he’s healthy. It was a smart bet to make and shows that general manager John Spytek is correctly thinking about risk, value and potential.”
Insider Reveals if Raiders Expect Jermod McCoy to Play in 2026