The Las Vegas Raiders made a calculated move in the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy in the fourth round. Just months later, the rookie appears poised to earn a significant opportunity in the team’s secondary.
According to veteran NFL insider Vinny Bonsignore, a healthy McCoy is the frontrunner to start opposite Eric Stokes at cornerback. Bonsignore shared his thoughts on the Raiders’ flagship radio station, highlighting the young defender’s potential to claim the position over Darien Porter.
“If he’s good to go, and by all accounts he is, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t win the starting job at cornerback,” Bonsignore said of McCoy on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate.
Bonsignore emphasized the importance of training camp for McCoy, noting the extended time away from competitive football due to his recovery process. He missed his entire final season at Tennessee due to a torn ACL, which was the reason he fell to Day 3 in the draft to begin with.
“Training camp is going to be so important for Jermod McCoy,” Bonsignore added. “Let’s stay right there for one second. It’s been a long time since he actually played football. That is one thing to keep an eye on. Not so much in the health perspective but just shaking off the rust.”
McCoy registered 44 tackles, four interceptions and nine passes defended during his most recent healthy campaign in 2024.
“It’s been a long time since he’s competed. … Now, he’s going to be competing at the NFL level,” Bonsignore continued. “So, it’ll be really interesting to watch his progress just getting reacclimated to playing football, to playing cornerback at a level where the Raiders need him to play from a rough standpoint, from all of that standpoint, just getting back out there and getting back into the flow of things.”
Reports since draft day have been positive regarding McCoy’s recovery, and the Raiders even traded up slightly to secure him. Bonsignore noted in a separate interview that several other teams were prepared to select McCoy later in the fourth round.
Bonsignore revealed back in May that other teams were prepared to nab McCoy in the fourth round, so Las Vegas decided to get aggressive and nab him.
McCoy was viewed by many as the most talented cornerback prospect in the 2026 draft class, so the fact that he slid all the way to Round 4 was particularly jarring. But clearly, there were some medical red flags that concerned other clubs. Las Vegas decided to take the risk, which was understandable.
For the Raiders, McCoy represents a high-upside addition to a defensive backfield in transition.
How quickly he can regain his game rhythm in camp will likely determine whether he locks down the starting spot as the team prepares for the upcoming season. His progress will be one of the more intriguing storylines to follow as training camp unfolds in Las Vegas.
