Tennessee football was not represented on night one of the NFL draft on Thursday, as two players projected as first round selections slide to Friday’s second round. 

First round hopeful defensive backs Colton Hood and Jermod McCoy did not hear their names called on Thursday night as the pair of former Vols remain available on the draft board. 

Both Hood and McCoy were predicted first round selections in several mock drafts from NFL experts over the last several weeks, but due to health concerns, one of the former Tennessee corners, saw his stock drop in the past week. 

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported earlier this week that several teams across the league began to grow concerned with the potential for a required surgery to repair a bone plug in the knee of McCoy. 

The 6-foot corner who excelled for Tennessee in 2024, missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in January 2025. 

In a standard procedure, following his injury, doctors used a bone plug to aid a cartilage defect in McCoy’s knee, but as time has passed, the plug could be due for a replacement at some point in the near future. 

With more understanding of the potential for this procedure, Pelissero inferred that teams became wary of drafting McCoy due to fear that the surgery would require the CB to miss an extended amount of time during his rookie season.  

Before Pelissero’s report broke, McCoy was widely regarded as the top cornerback in the draft and viewed as a probable top 20 pick.  

Unfortunately for the former Vol, an impressive pro day performance last month was not enough to convince a single NFL franchise to give him a chance in the first round. 

Throughout the pre-draft process, Hood, McCoy’s former Tennessee teammate, was also predicted by several experts to go as early as late in the first round. 

Hood, who anchored Tennessee’s secondary last season, received high praise for his physicality and overall DB abilities, landing him a spot in the top three corners of the draft in the eyes of many analysts/experts across the league. 

Projected most commonly to be selected in the bottom five of the first round to either the Miami Dolphins or Kansas City Chiefs, Hood received the same fate as McCoy, as he now looks to tomorrow to find a new home during round two. 

While fortune failed to find either Hood or McCoy on Thursday night, two other cornerbacks got their draft moment, as LSU’s Mansoor Delane and San Diego State’s Chris Johnson were selected to the Chiefs (6th overall) and Dolphins (27th overall) respectively in round one. 

To the surprise of no one, the Las Vegas Raiders selected former Indiana Hoosier and reigning national champion quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, officially ushering in a new era for the silver and black. 

Besting all other schools with four total selections in round one, Ohio State was well represented on Thursday as four of its draftees so far were selected in the top 11. 

Leading the way for the former Buckeyes was wide receiver Carnell Tate who was picked fourth overall by the Tennessee Titans. Following Tate were LB’s Arvell Reese (5th to NYG) and Sonny Styles (7th to WAS), along with safety Caleb Downs who was picked 11th overall by the Dallas Cowboys. 

Including the aforementioned Delane, the Southeastern Conference produced a total of seven first rounders on Thursday.  

Alabama: OT Kadyn Proctor (12th to MIA), QB Ty Simpson (13th to LAR)

Auburn: EDGE Keldric Faulk (31st to TEN)

Florida: DT Caleb Banks (18th to MIN) 

Georgia: OT Monroe Freeling (19th to CAR)

LSU: CB Mansoor Delane (6th to KC)

Texas A&M: WR KC Concepcion (24th to CLE)