The NFL Draft involves more than just selecting the best players in terms of talent. If that were the case, Jermod McCoy, a cornerback from Tennessee, would have been picked on Thursday. Instead, he fell all the way to the fourth round, with the Las Vegas Raiders taking him as the 101st overall pick on Saturday.
So, what kept a player with such an impressive draft profile—including notable plays, physical attributes, and ball-handling skills—from being chosen earlier?
In short, he has major medical concerns that made all 32 teams hesitant to choose him. This trend continued throughout the first three rounds until the Raiders finally picked McCoy.
The decision is certainly a gamble for general manager John Spytek, especially for a franchise based in a city synonymous with risk-taking.
On one hand, McCoy is very talented. On the other, he suffered a torn ACL at the end of the 2024 college season and had surgery in January 2025, resulting in him missing the entire following season. However, that’s not the most alarming part.
He had a severe cartilage injury, referred to as a “full-thickness cartilage injury” by former Chargers doctor David Chao. This often requires a grafting procedure called osteochondral grafting, which can lead to complications if he needs another surgery to fix additional problems.
Some teams reportedly believed that further surgery was a possibility, not for the ACL but for the cartilage issue, which could lead to another lengthy rehabilitation period—potentially threatening his career.
Because of these concerns, many teams removed McCoy from their draft boards and significantly lowered his draft stock.
“If you’re considering McCoy in the top 10 or even the first round, you have to be confident he can play for at least five years without a decline,” Chao remarked, underscoring the worry surrounding McCoy’s future.
It seems evident that the Raiders took all of McCoy’s medical information into account and felt they had enough room to make this choice. They even swapped positions with the Buffalo Bills, trading a seventh-round pick in 2027 to grab him.
The Raiders are effectively placing their faith in their medical staff, hoping they have a better grasp of his condition than others. Many believe that McCoy’s potential upside outweighs his injury concerns.
In essence, they are weighing skill against durability, deciding that Jermod McCoy boasts more talent than risk.
