Injuries caused Tennessee standout Jermod McCoy to slide to the fourth round, but the elite cornerback's top-tier talent gives Las Vegas a high-stakes defensive weapon for 2026.
The Las Vegas Raiders are heading into the 2026 season with a much different squad than the one that brought them just three wins in 2025. With some much-needed shake-up and a fresh start for a franchise that desperately needed it, this season should bring a lot more hope to Raiders fans across the nation.
The big moves are obvious – drafting quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall, signing veteran Kirk Cousins, signing Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, and the various moves to strengthen their squad on the defensive side of the ball. While those changes may be the ones to take most of the stories, there is one Raiders rookie who could be one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle in 2026 and beyond.
Cornerback Jermod McCoy was selected 101st overall by Las Vegas in this year’s draft. Typically, a fourth-round selection doesn’t bring with it as much hope and potential as McCoy does, but due to his unique journey to the draft, there is reason to believe McCoy is different from most fourth-rounders.
That’s because McCoy shouldn’t have been on the board in the fourth round, or even the third or second. Due to injuries, however, teams were wary of selecting the University of Tennessee standout.
After an impressive sophomore year in 2024 in which he recorded four interceptions, nine passes defended, and 44 tackles, McCoy earned a spot amongst the top prospects at the cornerback position.
Things took a turn when he tore his ACL during an offseason workout in January of 2025, however, which kept him out all of last season. That’s already enough to invite some caution about selecting the corner, but rumors began to emerge about McCoy potentially needing another surgery on his knee.
From there, McCoy’s stock tanked in April. Despite being ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect by Bleacher Report, he was still on the board entering day three of the draft.
While there is concern about McCoy’s knee, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak made it clear that he intends to see his new rookie participating in camp.
"It's gonna be a moving target with him, but we drafted him for a reason,” Kubiak told reporters. “We drafted him to play, so I expect him to compete in camp and get plenty of reps."
The Raiders aren’t just banking on McCoy to be of positive value down the line, but they’re counting on him from day one. Whenever the 20-year-old is ready to go, the Raiders will be eagerly waiting for him. With his immense upside as one of the best prospects in the draft and their need for depth at the position, McCoy is a name to keep an eye on as the 2026 season plays out.
He may be a fourth-round pick, but he’s far from a fourth-round talent. Las Vegas heavily believes in McCoy as a key part of its strong young core. The Raiders taking a risk on McCoy could turn out to be one of the biggest steals of the draft when we look back in a few years.
