Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy (3) before a college football game between Tennessee and UAB at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 20, 2025. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Another Saints CB NFL Draft Target Emerges

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 3, 2026 1:18 PM ET

If the New Orleans Saints can land a cornerback early in the 2026 National Football League Draft, that would be for the best.

New Orleans is fortunate to have Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley with the franchise right now, but with Alontae Taylor out the door, the Saints desperately need another high-end option to replace him in the "star" position of Brandon Staley's defense.

Two potential options who have popped up a lot when it has come to the Saints and NFL Draft talk have been LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.

On Friday, ESPN's Field Yates threw out another name as a potential fit for New Orleans' defense: Jermod McCoy of Tennessee.

The Saints could use an elite corner

"The race for CB1 is officially on," Yates wrote. "Both McCoy and LSU's Mansoor Delane are viewed as top-15 prospects in the class, with the Giants, Commanders, Saints, Chiefs, Bengals and Cowboys as natural landing spots. But McCoy's health lingered until this pro day workout, as a torn ACL caused him to miss the entire 2025 season and he sat out the combine.

"While scouts on the road had been getting positive reviews about McCoy's recovery, there is a certainty in seeing it on the field. He posted a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash, a 38-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-7 broad jump."

McCoy has not been talked about even close to as much as Delane has. The Tennessee corner missed the entire 2025 season, as Yates noted. In 2024, he played in 13 games for Tennessee and hauled in four interceptions to go along with nine passes defended and 44 total tackles. Right now, ESPN has him as the No. 2 cornerback in the draft class, but that could still shift. Sports Illustrated has him as the No. 6 overall prospect in the draft class, for example. Sports Illustrated has Delane down at No. 12. So, clearly, the opinions out there are fairly split on the two young cornerbacks.

For Delane, he did play in 2025. For McCoy, there's enough talent there to wonder if he'll be a better overall pro, despite not playing in 2025. For New Orleans, either would be an intriguing pickup with the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

If someone like Carnell Tate is available, it may be worth going wide receiver instead. But if Tate is off the board, snatching either of these two corners and then grabbing a receiver in the second round would be a good way to go as well.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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