2026 NFL Draft: Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy scouting report

As the 2026 NFL Draft nears, we'll continue scouting cornerback prospects. For more information on how this process works, check out our primer on scouting cornerbacks with the PFF Scouting Assistant.

Next up is Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy.

McCoy tore his ACL in January 2025, forcing him to miss the entire season. Evaluators will look at his 2024 performance (87.0 PFF overall grade) for most of his scouting. McCoy is 6 feet and 188 pounds with a 77-inch wingspan, so he has the height and length to be a starting outside cornerback in the NFL. 

Man-Coverage Skills: 8/10

McCoy put together a very strong 2024 season at Tennessee. He earned an 89.6 PFF coverage grade, which ranked eighth among all college football cornerbacks. McCoy is a smooth player in man coverage who plays with a still upper body and very quick feet. Against man coverage in 2024, he posted a 77.4 PFF coverage grade and forced an incompletion on 24% targets, all while surrendering only 10 catches for 168 yards on those plays.

Zone Awareness IQ: 7.5/10

In 2024, Tennessee’s defense used Cover 3 as its preferred zone-coverage concept, running it on 33% of snaps. As a result, McCoy played 88 snaps in a deep-third coverage role. He posted an 86.5 PFF zone-coverage grade, which ranked 11th among all college cornerbacks. McCoy excels at quickly coming back to the ball on routes that are targeted under his off-coverage role. He will look to poach receivers after he’s passed off his initial man, as he did when he intercepted a deep crossing route 20 yards downfield from his flat assignment in Cover 2 against Oklahoma in Week 4.

Ball Skills: 8/10

McCoy broke up six passes and logged four interceptions in 2024. His 77-inch wingspan shows up in his ability to break up passes on slant and curl routes. If he’s close to the ball, there’s a good chance he’ll get a hand on it, as he physically contests short catches and can dislodge the ball on contact. McCoy had a very impressive interception in Week 8 against Alabama’s Ryan Williams on an end-zone fade attempt. On the play, he positioned himself to cut off the route and then high-pointed the ball in the end zone for the turnover. McCoy has sure enough hands to serve as a punt returner. 

Speed and Recovery: 7/10

McCoy has yet to put his speed on display in a testing environment, choosing not to run the 40-yard dash until his pro day on March 31. On film, you don’t see McCoy get beaten deep often. He turns with ease and is consistently in a good position on go routes. His recovery speed was best shown on a coverage snap against Florida when he had to recover on a post-corner route that he had passed off to the free safety. He ended up hip-to-hip with the receiver at the end of the route.

Press Technique: 7/10

McCoy was in a press alignment on 28.2% of coverage snaps in 2024. At this point in his career, McCoy doesn’t execute a successful jam as often as a high-end starter, and he lost in coverage a few times with failed jams. One example was a 22-yard go-route touchdown he surrendered against Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. However, McCoy does have the length to become better in press coverage. Where he wins as a press defender is in his foot quickness, which gives him the ability to mirror wide receivers and maintain good position in press coverage — even if he doesn’t win with his hands.

Run Support/Tackling: 7.5/10

Playing outside cornerback with a deep-zone coverage assignment didn’t give McCoy many plays where he needed to make a tackle in run defense. When McCoy was involved, he played physically and didn't shy away from pulling guards, as he finished 2024 with a 78.8 PFF run-defense grade. He also tallied a 79.0 PFF tackling grade and missed only four tackles in 2024, with two coming in run support. 

Final Grade: 7.50 Solid Starter