Imagine, if you can, expecting to be an early choice in the NFL draft, and watching it unravel, round by round, pick by pick, without anybody calling your name.
A questionable bone plug to repair degenerative cartilage in Jermod McCoy’s right knee turned into a very expensive development – $20 million, more or less, down the drain.
The former Tennessee cornerback was finally drafted Saturday in the fourth round by the Las Vegas Raiders, 101st pick overall. His four-year contract will be valued at about $5.5 million.
If he had been chosen high in the first round, as projected for weeks, McCoy would have received more than four times that amount.
Medical experts for NFL teams, after studying magnetic resonance imaging, decided the repair of his January 2025 torn anterior cruciate ligament was fine. The unrelated bone plug might have to be replaced. At best, that would cost a year of football. At worst, it might be the end of Jermod’s career.
Red flags are contagious. They cause some team executives to duck and run. Because of the risk, 11 cornerbacks were drafted ahead of McCoy. The Raiders were brave. They think (hope) the knee may prove durable. If so, the team has “stolen” a star.
Sad scene: A couple of weeks after the Vols were thrashed at Ohio State in their 2024 playoff misadventure, Jermod McCoy was working out with a friend near his home in Whitehouse, Texas.
The second-team all-American defensive back leaped to “intercept” a pass, landed awkwardly and suffered the torn ligament. That was bad. The injury and immediate repair were going to cost at least part of the 2025 Tennessee season.
After McCoy returned to Knoxville, UT doctors and trainers monitored progress. The surgery healed as scheduled. He was cleared for combat with a few games remaining. He said “it didn’t feel right.”
McCoy didn’t play.
“Towards the end of the season, I was trying to get back out there. I got cleared. I was doing everything, practicing, everything – I just didn’t feel ready yet.”
That didn’t go over well with some Tennessee fans. McCoy was receiving big NIL money. Critics thought he should play for his pay. He chose to focus on NFL preparations. More compassionate fans understood.
Interesting development: McCoy did not participate in physical testing at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis in late February. Later, on pro day at Neyland Stadium, with dozens of scouts and team officials as witnesses, he ran a fast 4.37-second 40-yard dash and posted strong vertical and broad jumps. He went through position drills to show his knee was sound.
The performance seemed to solidify his first-round reputation.
A few days before the draft, the bone plug MRI issue emerged. The plug was a grafted piece of bone and cartilage put in place of a bad spot.
Team doctors said the fix probably would have to be fixed again, maybe not immediately but at some point. Defensive backs with knee issues spook some more than others. Could be the Raiders believe it is McCoy’s turn for good luck. The price was right.
Save this tidbit, it might eventually be used to impress a friend or win a bar bet. McCoy was recruited from high school to Oregon State. His first college interception was against California.
The quarterback who threw it was Fernando Mendoza, one transfer away from Indiana, the national championship and the Heisman Trophy, No. 1 pick of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Stay tuned. Read regularly. You never know when I might offer another tidbit.
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com
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