Most Concerning Question Mark Raiders Face With Rookie Jermod McCoy

The former Tennessee cornerback entered the draft with the expectation of coming off the board at some point in the first round. However, McCoy suffered a torn ACL in January 2025, which caused him to miss the entire 2025 season.

Although there is a major risk with McCoy, General Manager John Spytek felt comfortable rolling the dice on him. For one, it required a Day 3 pick. Secondly, the team’s doctors felt that McCoy’s knee could sustain an NFL workload.

Spytek on McCoy

• "Well, we traded up one spot," Spytek said. "We were staring at a player on our board that was way above everybody else, and this wasn't a Friday-night decision nor a week-of-the-draft decision either. You know, we have a wonderful medical team here, with doctors Alex Guerrero and Chris Cortez, who spend countless hours poring over every prospect."

• "And so, this was a very well-vetted, thoughtful process that we had talked about at length for weeks or even months before-obviously, since the Combine."

• "We were comfortable with him at that point, bringing Jermod McCoy in, obviously," Spytek continued. So, we gave up a 7th-round pick next year, eliminating any mystery or possibility that could come up at the last second to cost us a player we really valued and were thrilled to get. Jermod-he's a highly talented kid, but he's a good kid. He's a thoughtful worker and works hard."

Overall Thoughts

This was absolutely the correct decision by Spytek and the front office. Although there are legitimate concerns about McCoy's ability to stay on the field, this is a low-risk, high-reward pick. McCoy's 2024 film is elite and depicts an All-Pro caliber defensive back.

Other than health, there are no concerns with character or on-field production associated with the 6-foot-1, 188-pound cornerback. The Raiders landed arguably the second-best cornerback in the entire draft at No. 101 overall, and it required trading a 2027 seventh-round pick. If McCoy remains consistently available, he will prove to be the steal of the draft, no questions asked.