The Las Vegas Raiders drafted a great rookie class, and, outside of Fernando Mendoza, it seemed to be headlined by the steal they got in the fourth round
The Las Vegas Raiders took a risk in the 2026 NFL Draft that 32 teams were scared to take for three full rounds. To start the fourth round, they traded up to get Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, who is a first-round talent with an injury that could be devastating to his career.
The Raiders saw tremendous value in the fourth round. They didn't waver for a second when he was there. After being drafted, McCoy told the media via Zoom that he's leaving it to the Raiders' staff to determine whether he needs additional surgery on his knee. We haven't heard anything about that, but we have heard about his OTAs so far.
"Yeah, he's been excellent," head coach Klint Kubiak said on Wednesday. "He's come in here and worked his tail off, doing everything that we've asked him to do. He's got out there on the practice field and has shown the player that we've seen on tape, so I'm just looking forward to progressing him, along with all those new DBs. It's an impressive group, really well-coached group by Joe [Woods], Matt [Robinson], and Robbie [Leonard]. Very competitive young men right now in that defensive back room."
McCoy is a star in the making. The tape doesn't lie, and he could legit transform the defense, especially the secondary. But he can't do any of that if he is not healthy.
"Yeah, I think Alex Guerrero has a great plan for him as far as how many yards we give him a day, the rest that we give them, the time on the field as opposed to the turf. But the great thing about Jermod [McCoy] thus far is he's responded really well."
Vegas is fine with the idea that McCoy might not even play in 2026. If they were not, they wouldn't have even drafted him, knowing what they knew. The Raiders would rather have him use the year to get healthy, so that come 2027, he's good to go. Now, that's assuming there's nothing insanely crazy going on inside the knee. We can only go off what we know as the public. What we do know is that McCoy can be elite.
(Didn't play in 2025)
9 Pass Deflections (7 year before)
44 tackles (.5 TFL)
4 Interceptions (2 year before at Oregon State)
McCoy stands just under 6'1" and weighs 190 pounds , with 31-inch arms and outstanding speed. He turned heads at his recent Tennessee Pro Day, looking ready to contribute immediately and running a blazing 4.37 in the 40-yard dash.
When healthy, McCoy shows length, explosiveness, and smooth athleticism, pairing impressive ball skills with physicality at the catch point. He projects well in both press and off-coverage as he refines his technique. However, after missing all of 2025, he's still young and relatively inexperienced, so drafting him is a bold move that comes with some risk.
