Jermod McCoy is a 6 foot cornerback that played high school at Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas and cemented himself as a high end three star recruit that committed to play for Oklahoma State before transferring to Tennessee in 2024. He has had some great recognition such as being a 2025 preseason all American, and 2024 all American and all-SEC. He is one of those prospects that has all the talent in the world to succeed and with the right coaching and development, he can live up to the ceiling he possesses.
Athletically, McCoy possesses a great sense of coverage abilities, especially in man-to-man, being able to use his hips and speed to match receivers and maintain being in the stay-in phase and elite route squeeze ability. He was able to shut down phenom sensation Ryan Williams when they played in 2024 against each other and the ability to not give Williams any room to breathe, referencing his elite route squeeze ability when Alabama wanted to salvage some yards. In zone, McCoy is also very knowledgeable in the sense of what his assignment is, when to latch off of the receiver and latch onto the receiver entering his zone assignment. McCoy possesses great speed running a 4.40 40-yard dash, putting some of those injury concerns to rest, and also has quick feet off the line of scrimmage, being a potential threat as a ball hawk, catching four interceptions, and a threat underneath. The only negatives in his game consist of his mental processing of plays, which is a big negative, as he lacks the ability to process misdirection and knowing if the quarterback handed the ball off or kept it. He also has the negative ability of leaving some doubt when tackling, not putting his full force to ensure the ball carrier is down and potentially leaving the offense with some second chance opportunities.
Overall, McCoy is a great prospect because of his coverage and speed ability, it will keep him in the league for a long time, but you do worry about his ability to tackle forcefully and catch onto the game speed of what is happening. With development, I do not think that is a big concern more than teams concern of his ACL tear, but it is something to keep tabs on, specifically the mental processing ability more than tackling.
Scheme Fit and Team Fit:
The scheme that I think fits McCoy would be a press man coverage look, using his aggressiveness to his advantage, being able to disrupt plays and the offense, while using his elite trait, man coverage, to take receivers that can make an impact out of the play completely. Teams that I thought fit that would be the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs. For the Cowboys, not only has there been a lot of chatter about the Cowboys selecting Jermod, but the scheme fits as well, having the ability to use his zone and elite man coverage ability to help the Cowboys defense that has been known to have a bad reputation in passing defense. With McCoy, though, he has the ability to change that, with elite man coverage, good zone coverage, and top notch speed and hip fluidity to stay with receivers and put pressure on the opposing offense. For the Broncos, the pick may not make sense, but with the development of Patrick Surtain of a press man coverage cornerback, McCoy could be his duo in crime. They can use Jermod as a route mirror cornerback and his aggressiveness to their advantage, opening up more opportunities to use Surtain in situations they have seen success in. Lastly, for the Chiefs, they are tasked with the replacement of Trent McDuffie and Jermod McCoy could be the ideal replacement, as they look for an elite man coverage specialist and aggressive corner to be able to run with the elite receivers in the AFC. They have a knack for developing good corners into elite corners and with McCoy having questions after missing an entire season due to an ACL tear, it could fall into the Chiefs lap if he drops past the first round.
NFL Player Comp: Joe Haden
Much like Haden, McCoy possesses elite coverage skills and the ability to have smooth fluid hips to run with many receivers but also has been labeled as a ball hawk cornerback.
Projection: Elite Man Coverage Cornerback
With McCoy’s elite coverage skills, he will excel at the next level as he develops under a system that understands his skillset and can help him with his tackling and mental processing concerns. Nonetheless, he will be a great cornerback for years to come because of his ability to cover and stay in the play forever, never giving up on the play.
Grade: 4.99
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