Why Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy was not picked in 2026 NFL Draft first round

Why Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy was not picked in 2026 NFL Draft first round

Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy was not picked in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23, apparently because of questions over his injured knee.

McCoy was projected as a first round pick and possibly the first cornerback taken. But the first round came and went, and the UT star didn’t hear his name called.

McCoy was the best available player, according to ESPN.com, when Day 1 wrapped up. But ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood, who was also not picked in the first round, is a "red-hot" option in the second round.

The draft will resume on April 24 with Rounds 2-3 from starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network.

The fact that McCoy didn't play for the Vols in the 2025 season due to a torn ACL appears to be the major factor for his fall.

Two cornerbacks were drafted in the first round while McCoy remained on the board. The Kansas City Chiefs selected LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane with the sixth pick. The Miami Dolphins took San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson with the 27th pick.

After Delane was picked, Kiper said concerns over McCoy’s knee injury had reshuffled prospects at his position.

"I think (drafting Delane with the sixth pick) is a bit of a reach, but I guess with Jermod McCoy and that lingering knee injury, (Delane) became the guy at corner that you got to get because there's really right now no lock corner because of McCoy's injury," Kiper said. "That made Mansoor Delane much more valuable at the top of the draft with McCoy falling back just a bit."