PFF Early 2026 Mock Draft has Miami Selecting

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Draft Profile: Bio

Jermod McCoy from Whitehouse High School was rated a 3-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 3-star grade by 247 Sports. Following high school, McCoy opted to join Oregon State.

In 2023 as a freshman McCoy saw action in 11 games and played a total of 410 snaps at cornerback for the Beavers. He recorded 21 tackles, 8 assists, while adding 3 stops. In coverage McCoy notched up 6 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, and QB rating when targetted of 97.8.

After the end of the season he transferred to Tennessee where as a sophomore for the Volunteers in 2024 McCoy played in 4 games and logged 158 snaps for the Volunteers. He made just 9 tackles, 2 assists, and had 3 stops. In coverage he totaled 3 pass breakups, one interception, and an elite QB rating when targetted of 30.2.

Scouting Report: Strengths

• Explodes out of his backpedal and has the hands and coordination to force interceptions.
• Exceptionally quick, with the feet and fluidity to mirror underneath, including in the slot against the two-way go. McCoy stays low in his backpedal and explodes toward the ball, with an outstanding closing burst.
• Has a nice blend of length, speed, and quickness. He’s at his best mirroring routes underneath, showing fluid movement skills and the ability to change directions on a dime.
• Plays with the natural balance and ultra-quick feet to mirror underneath, and he’s tremendous at reading routes and reading quarterbacks.
• Very aggressive attacking receiver blocks and tackles like a safety.
• His length and leaping ability allow him to high-point the ball and make plays. McCoy would have had bigger interception numbers in college had opposing quarterbacks not gone out of their way to avoid him.
• He’s excellent in run support, a physical hitter who could also get a look at safety

Scouting Report: Weaknesses

• Questionable technique and McCoy gets lazy with fundamentals, sometimes getting high in his backpedal and will breach the coverage call seeking flashy plays
• Gave up far too many big plays in college, especially concerning since he has recovery speed to make up for missteps.
• Despite his size, he’s not an overly physical tackler. McCoy might have to add some weight at the next level in order to become more physical.

SI Write-up on Jemod McCoy

While the 2025 NFL draft just wrapped up this past weekend, it’s never too early to start taking a look at next year’s potential prospects. CBS Sports did so by releasing a 2026 NFL mock draft and a Tennessee Volunteer was seen going in the first round.

This year it was EDGE James Pearce who was selected in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons and next year, sites are predicting Jermod McCoy to be the first Volunteer off the board. McCoy was placed at the 20th overall pick to the Los Angeles Chargers in the mock draft. Here is what CBS’ Josh Edwards had to say about the pick.

“McCoy had four interceptions last season after transferring in from Oregon State,” Edwards wrote. “He has good size and the ball production to match. Jim Harbaugh nabs a ball hawk for the secondary in the first round. “

Tennessee’s defense last season was a major reason why they ended up being a college football playoff team. They lost multiple members of last year’s defense to the draft this offseason, so they will need guys like McCoy to step up this season.

If McCoy is a first rounder next year, he would be the first defensive back from Tennessee to be selected in the first round since safety Eric Berry was drafted by the Kasnas City Chiefs in 2010.