In the four NFL Drafts that have occurred during Josh Heupel’s tenure on Rocky Top, Tennessee has seen a pair of first-round picks drafted to the league.
Offensive tackle Darnell Wright was selected with the 10th overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 2022 NFL Draft, while EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr. went 26th overall to the Atlanta Falcons this past spring.
While there are still many variables that could impact things between now and next spring, it does look likely that Heupel will see his third first-round Tennessee talent go to the league in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Following the conclusion of the ’25 draft this past April, Pro Football Focus analyst Dalton Wasserman tagged Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy as a future first-round pick (15th overall, to be exact) in his way-too-early set of projections. While that was a notable pick early on, it doesn’t look like just a one-off prediction now that almost two months have gone by. No matter which way you look at it, McCoy appears to have a great chance of hearing his name called on the first day next spring.
On Saturday, Pro Football Network released another 2026 NFL mock draft with McCoy landing on the list. The publication has McCoy slotted to go 17th overall to the Houston Texans, landing as the second cornerback taken off the board behind Colorado’s DJ McKinney at No. 13 to the Miami Dolphins.
“Houston has an impressive secondary with players like Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre manning their back end. However, with a talent like Jermod McCoy still on the board, the Texans can’t pass him up,” PFN writes. “McCoy is a sticky coverman who plays with quickness and patience. He excels covering vertically and is also a firm player against the run.”
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Seeing McCoy team up with young Houston stars would be a treat for Tennessee fans, although perhaps a bit challenging to watch for Vols-Titans fans in their two yearly matchups. Houston boasts some impressive young talent on its defense, though this is more about the landing spot in the first round as opposed to the projected team, considering there’s still a whole season to unfold ahead.
McCoy posted Tennessee’s best season grade in the secondary during his first year in Knoxville and the third-highest on the defense overall, behind only Pearce and EDGE rusher Joshua Josephs. The rising junior will certainly be looked at as one of the premier defensive backs in the nation when he suits up this fall, though there is a roadblock to get through this offseason.
McCoy tore his ACL back in January during at-home workouts after the season, setting him up for a road of recovery before the 2025 season. The six-foot cornerback did not participate in Tennessee’s spring workouts in Knoxville a few months back, but he was around the program helping his teammates – something that NFL teams will be pleased with from a character perspective if he is going to be a first-round pick.
“We know that Jermod’s going to be back,” Tennessee secondary coach Willie Martinez said during spring camp. “We know he’s a great player. We know he’s a great leader. He’s doing an unbelievable job – just the same thing I just said about Rickey is times two with him. He’s engaged. He’s actually growing as a player, even though he’s not physically going through it. He’s setting the example. He’s leading it.”
As long as his recovery and rehab go well this offseason, there’s little reason to think that McCoy can’t return to form for the Volunteers at some point this fall. And if/when he does, Tennessee will be in a much better shape because of it. Even though he was snubbed from ESPN’s top college football players list this offseason, the Tennessee cornerback could be a household name for SEC fans by the end of the season.
Check out Pro Football Network’s full three-round mock draft from Saturday here.
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