The Las Vegas Raiders took a chance on arguably the most talented cornerback in the 2026 NFL draft but he has been getting back to full strength after tearing his ACL and missing the 2025 season.
The Las Vegas Raiders understandably overhauled much of its roster after having a terrible 3-14 season that secured the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s National Football League draft.
The Raiders had tons of salary cap space to spend on free agents, and it arguably had the best free agency out of any team, signing the best center available in Tyler Linderbaum and upgrading the linebacker room by adding Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. Las Vegas upgraded at several positions, but these additions should make the largest impact.
Then came the draft, and the Raiders made the no-brainer pick of selecting Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza with that coveted top pick. He hasn’t even played a snap in the NFL yet and he’s an upgrade over veteran QB Geno Smith, who was traded back to the New York Jets.
Las Vegas added nine other players in the draft, and many praised its draft because of talent and positional value. But I think what makes the Raiders draft so great was taking Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy at No. 101 in the fourth round.
McCoy slid down draft boards because of a concerning knee injury that caused him to miss the entirety of the 2025 season, but he’s probably the most talented cornerback in the draft and has the chance to be the biggest steal if he lives up to the hype.
Despite tearing his ACL and missing out on a critical third college season, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak gave an uplifting update about the 20-year-old.
Kubiak expects McCoy to be a full participant in training camp after not practicing for a majority of OTAs and minicamp, according to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden. He also said that the reason he didn’t participate is because the medical staff is working on getting him back to full strength.
“[Wellness coordinator] Alex Guerrero has got a great plan with our medical staff, and we're bringing him along slowly,” Kubiak said last week. “... I expect him to practice [during training camp], and it's going to be a moving target [on] him, but we drafted him for a reason, so I expect him to compete in camp and get plenty of reps.”
McFadden noted that McCoy will be competing with second-year CB Darien Porter and fellow 2026 draft pick Hezekiah Masses, who was the 175th overall pick in the fifth round, for the starting outside cornerback spot opposite of veteran Eric Stokes.
McCoy will certainly have a chip on his shoulder after he was a Round 1 draft projection.
