In the spirit of playing their home games just around the corner from The Strip, the Las Vegas Raiders took a gamble in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. They chose Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, an ultra-talented player who fell to Day 3 due to some significant long-term injury concerns.
But this wasn't an ill-advised bet. It's not as if the front office asked the dealer to "hit them" when they had a 20 in their hands at the blackjack table. After passing on McCoy four times in the first three rounds, the No. 101 pick (and a future seventh-rounder) was a more-than-fine wager to place on him.
No, the Raiders haven't decided if McCoy needs another surgery. And there are no guarantees that he will pan out, as with any prospect. But the one certain thing is McCoy's ability, as he was considered the top cornerback in the class. But it is a dichotomy that one draft expert can't figure out about him.
Draft expert explains difficulty evaluating new Las Vegas Raiders CB Jermod McCoy
FanSided's NFL Draft guru, Mike Luciano, gave us some intel about McCoy after the Raiders selected him, and it is a bit of a mixed bag. Although in awe of his on-field ability, Luciano can't seem to reconcile all the questions he has about McCoy's health.
"McCoy is one of the most difficult players in the class to figure out," Luciano began. "As a 19-year-old in the SEC, he was one of the best defenders in the nation. But a torn ACL kept him out of the entire 2025 season and from the Senior Bowl. When healthy, he's a dominant cornerback with elite athleticism and a willingness to tackle. But has he lost any juice since the injury? And how pro-ready is he? If he were 100% healthy, McCoy might have been the top defensive player off the board. That's just how talented he is."
It is fair to question if McCoy is the same player that he was before the injury. Although ACL tears aren't as debilitating for athletes as they used to be, they are still no joke, and McCoy hasn't played in a football game since the 2024 college football season. That is a long, long time.
He did look great in drills at his Tennessee Pro Day, and McCoy ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash in early April. That sounds like a healthy player to me. But that's a far cry from being NFL-ready, as Luciano said, and it's not a stretch to say that he could be a step slower or a touch less athletic.
To me, however, it boils down to this: McCoy is a great athlete with tremendous speed, but that was not exclusively what made him a great cover corner. He is patient and trusts his technique, has fluid hips and great size, and his instincts and ability to challenge at the catch point all help him thrive.
So, even if he has lost a bit of juice and isn't quite pro-ready yet, that's okay. Las Vegas re-signed Eric Stokes to start on the boundary, and Darien Porter also looked promising. Plus, the Raiders found another great late-round gem in Hezekiah Masses, who might be ready to rotate in right away.
If McCoy needs a bit of a runway to return to the elite level that he played at before his injury in college, then that is completely fine. Most fourth-round picks need time to develop anyway, and if they don't ever pan out, it's not necessarily a good thing, but it's not crippling for the Raiders, either.
While figuring out just how healthy McCoy is may be difficult to figure out, his whole situation in Las Vegas is quite simple: If he's healthy, the Raiders may have a perennial All-Pro at cornerback. If he's not, then they'll have to eat a fourth and seventh-round pick, which they can manage.
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