The injury reason Jermod McCoy is still available amid NFL Draft slide despite 1st-round grade

TL;DR

Jermod McCoy, a cornerback with a first-round grade, is still available in the NFL Draft due to injury concerns. His unexpected slide continues despite high expectations.

Key points

Jermod McCoy has a first-round grade
His NFL Draft slide is due to injury concerns
He remains undrafted after two days of the 2026 draft

Jermod McCoyTennessee

The injury reason Jermod McCoy is still available amid NFL Draft slide despite 1st-round grade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This year's Shedeur Sanders is Jermod McCoy.

It's not exactly the same. The Tennessee cornerback McCoy's NFL Draft slide has more to do with injury, it seems, than with anything else. But still -- he had a first-round grade, and he hasn't been picked through the first two days of the 2026 draft.

Sanders ended up going in 2025 with the 144th pick in the fifth round.

It'd still be a surprise if McCoy made it that far. But at this point, having gone past every team in the draft multiple times, maybe that's possible.

2026 NFL DRAFT HQ:Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available

Why isn't Jermod McCoy getting drafted?

Unless some other news comes out at some point, this seems to be about injury.

"(McCoy) clearly is a first-round talent but suffered a knee injury where he tore his ACL, underwent surgery. And obviously there are some teams that have some concerns about that knee right now," ESPN's Adam Schefter reported during the second round of the broadcast. "People think he can step in and impact a roster right away, but there are questions about his longevity in the league. For right now, we have a situation where he's still on the board, one of the elite talents in this draft in a spot that nobody thought he would be."

Q&A

Why is Jermod McCoy still available in the NFL Draft?

Jermod McCoy is still available in the NFL Draft primarily due to injury concerns that have affected his draft stock.

What round is Jermod McCoy expected to be drafted in?

While Jermod McCoy had a first-round grade, he has not been picked through the first two days of the draft, raising questions about when he might be selected.

How does Jermod McCoy's situation compare to Shedeur Sanders?

Jermod McCoy's draft slide is attributed more to injury issues, while Shedeur Sanders was selected in the fifth round of the previous draft.