There is a scenario where new Las Vegas Raiders CB Jermod McCoy could be a starter despite a slide due to some injury issues.
One of the biggest surprises in the 2026 NFL Draft was the slide of Tennessee Volunteers cornerback Jermod McCoy.
Going into the draft, some even viewed McCoy as a first-round pick, but he didn't get selected until the beginning of Day 3 when the Las Vegas Raiders took him with the first pick of the fourth round.
McCoy missed all of 2025 due to an injury, and the knee issues apparently scared teams off from using an early draft pick on him.
It wasn't the ACL, either, but a new issue, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
“It is not the ACL that he had repaired, it seems like the ACL is fine,” Rapoport said. “It is actually a cartilage and meniscus issue in his knee…a bone plug in his knee may be failing, he may need a second surgery and there are concerns if he plays, if he is able to play long enough to get a second contract.”
Still, the Raiders couldn't pass up the chance to get a first-round talent on Day 3, and Chad Reuter of NFL.com says there is a path to McCoy being a starter in 2026.
"The Raiders made a shrewd move, paying a minor price (2027 seventh-round pick) to trade up a spot for the aggressive playmaker's services at the top of Round 4. There are concerns about the health of McCoy’s knee, as NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, but barring the worst fears being realized very quickly, I expect McCoy to battle second-year player Darien Porter for a starting role in camp," Reuter wrote.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler added that Las Vegas is "optimistic" about McCoy's chances to play in 2026, and if he is healthy, he should see a lot of snaps in a defensive backfield that could use a few extra pieces.
Former NFL cornerback Bryant McFadden also had a bold claim about McCoy, saying he is "the best" CB in the room in Las Vegas right now, even with the injury issues.
All of that bodes well for McCoy and the Raiders, and if the ex-Tennessee CB can stay healthy, this could be the biggest steal of this year's draft when we look back at it a few years from now.
If McCoy was healthy going into the draft, there was a discussion that he could've been a first-round pick and possibly the top CB in the class, although it ended up being LSU Tigers star Mansoor Delane, who was selected at No. 6 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs.
So, although McCoy has some injury concerns, the Raiders are optimistic, and if everything goes well, the fourth-round pick could be starting this season in Sin City.