How different the world can look in 4.38 seconds.
It had been so long since the public had seen Jermod McCoy in cleats. It had been more than a year since Tennessee’s star cornerback suffered a torn ACL that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season.
McCoy had declined to return to action for the Volunteers despite being medically cleared during the season, then added another layer of league-wide skepticism by opting against participating at February’s NFL Combine, stating that he still needed additional time to prepare.
On March 31, he decided he was ready for one of the spring’s most anticipated showcases, lining up for a 40-yard dash at Tennessee’s Pro Day that would alter his net worth.
In 4.38 seconds, McCoy made one of the loudest statements in the lead-up to the NFL draft.
“He looked like Jermod out there,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “It was great to see him back at 100 percent.”
Now, the options on draft day feel endless for a 20-year-old who could become a shutdown corner.
ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller believes McCoy could be taken as high as No. 6 overall by Cleveland and does not envision the cornerback slipping past No. 20, the lowest of the Cowboys’ two first-round picks.
“[The] 4.38, to show the explosion in the [38-inch] vertical and [10-foot, 7-inch] broad jump as well, and then to get out there and do positional drills — McCoy did everything,” Miller said. “There was some question, even [that] morning, from NFL scouts, what would he actually do after sitting out at the combine? So this was fantastic for him to remind people, with some late buzz, that he was the top corner in this class and would have been, I think, the top corner in last year’s class had he been draft eligible then.
“Obviously the ACL injury in January was unfortunate, but what a way to rebound. And again, late buzz is better than early buzz. To remind general managers about 20 days before the NFL Draft who you are, that you’re healthy, I think that momentum is really going to help him out.
“We could see the injury timeline scare some teams, but I think Dallas is the floor, and that’s if they don’t take him at [No.] 12. Dallas has one of the best team doctors, one of the foremost experts on knee surgeries in the country, so if anyone’s gonna be comfortable with the guy’s medical it’s gonna be Dallas. He could go [No. 6 to Cleveland], [No. 7 to Washington], Kansas City at [No. 9] would be a lot of fun for him, replacing Trent McDuffie.”
If the Chiefs choose McCoy as the successor to their former All-Pro cornerback, McCoy would again follow the footsteps of the player he grew up cheering for — Patrick Mahomes.
McCoy was an all-state baseball player who was coached by former Mets pitcher Pat Mahomes and was in the third grade class of Mahomes’ aunt. He also attended Whitehouse High School in Texas a decade after the three-time Super Bowl MVP, who recently posted a picture he took with McCoy, then a 13-year-old NFL hopeful.
McCoy, an all-state long jumper and triple jumper, was better known as a wide receiver in high school. In college, his playmaking ability transferred to the other side of the ball.
After one strong season at Oregon State, McCoy elevated his game in Knoxville, where he recorded four interceptions and nine pass breakups in 2024, becoming a second-team All-American who will now battle LSU’s Mansoor Delane for the honors of being the first cornerback off the board.
In 4.38 seconds, his ceiling could be seen again.
“I feel great,” McCoy said at the draft combine. “I made a big impact the year that I played. I just feel like my ability to make plays, that’s what I’m gonna continue to do.”
