Dolphins Draft Profile – Jermod McCoy

Dolphins Draft Profile – Jermod McCoy

Jermod McCoy had such a fantastic season in 2024 that scouts are willing to overlook a bad knee injury to draft him early in the 2026 NFL Draft. What makes him so good, and should teams worry about his health?

The cornerback out of Tennessee has been a hot commodity all year long, even though he hasn’t played in a game since the end of his 2024 campaign. He suffered an unfortunate torn ACL in practice late in the season. In 13 games during the 2024 season,

McCoy only allowed a 53.6 passer rating when targeted (per Pro Football Focus) and recorded 4 interceptions. His film was truly special, being able to play both man and zone coverage at a high level. Before suffering the injury, McCoy seemed like one of the most athletic players in the country.

His ability to mirror opposing receivers and time his punch when targeted was unmatched. He has eyes in the back of his head. McCoy has a similar playstyle to former 1st round pick Jaycee Horn, who has his own injury history.

Unfortunately for McCoy, his knee injury kept him away from football until the middle of the 2025 season.

He practiced with the Tennessee Volunteers for a stretch before the end of the season, but he never appeared in a game. He also did not participate in the 2026 NFL Combine, but claimed he is healthy enough to play football and would participate in drills at the Tennessee pro day.

The Miami Dolphins desperately need a cornerback. Whether it is at pick 11 or through free agency, that position group will be targeted by the new regime. McCoy is a realistic option, as the NFL is seemingly unfazed by his knee injury. His ability to play in multiple coverage sets provides new head coach Jeff Hafley with a defensive weapon. McCoy is currently 17th on the Pro Football Focus draft board.

The obvious issue with him is the injury. Jermod McCoy would have been a top 10 pick without the injury, based on his 2023 and 2024 game film. The Chris Grier era was marked by consistent draft misses, especially those that were due to injury issues.

Starting this new rebuild off with the selection of an injured cornerback would be a rough look, but if his medicals (not public record) are clean, I do not see a reason to dislike the potential selection.