The opening round of the 2026 NFL Draft is a week away. Next Thursday night, 32 players will find out their NFL homes for the first time. Throughout the draft process, a pair of SEC cornerbacks have separated themselves from the pack: LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy. Both players look to be likely first-round selections. However, McCoy’s injury history could cause pause among some interested teams. In a sit-down with X (formerly Twitter) page DLLS Cowboys, the Athletic’s Dane Brugler shared why he believes McCoy’s knee could lead to him sliding out of the first round.
“If the knee is an issue for you, he could fall all the way out of the first round, I don’t think that’s impossible,” opined Brugler on Thursday afternoon.
Brugler did say he had a first-round grade on McCoy, one of only 14 players who received that mark. The soon-to-be former Tennessee standout could have a bright future in the NFL. However, the knee is certainly a big question mark. For a football player, recovery from a torn ACL is never a guarantee. Some players come back better from it. However, others have struggled.
Whether it’s the Cowboys or another interested party (Brugler currently has the Minnesota Vikings taking McCoy 18th overall in his latest mock draft), it feels more likely than not that McCoy will be drafted in the first 32 picks. His 2024 season, his first with the Volunteers, showed a clear impact player. If McCoy can get back to the player who terrorized SEC receivers every week, then any questions about the health of his knee will stay in the past.
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