The Los Angeles Rams may not be aiming to select Tennessee Volunteers' rookie cornerback prospect Jermod McCoy. But other NFL teams that may have been high on him may have cause to reevaluate him on their big board. You see, he is opting out of all workouts and position drills at the combine.
General manager Les Snead is expected to lean heavily into evaluating the top cornerbacks up for grabs in the 2026 NFL Draft. And with LA's shopping list somewhat in flux, there is plenty of wiggle room for the team to pivot to one of any number of positions with the two first-round picks in the upcoming draft.
Jermod McCoy is a name that is frequently in Rams mock drafts. He is one of the elite-ish cornerbacks in this draft, and he could still be on the board when the team makes its first selection with the 13th overall pick. The top cornerbacks in this draft are debatable, but they include both McCoy and LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.
Did McCoy's decision just hurt his draft stock?
Don't expect Rams to be discouraged by McCoy's decision
As soon as the LA Rams reportedly hired Tennessee Volunteers' defensive backs coach Michael Hunter, they tipped their hand towards the draft. While Hunter was only on the Volunteers' coaching staff for a limited time, he had enough opportunity to collect key information about the star's career.
And he breaks that intel to Los Angeles.
Both Snead and head coach Sean McVay give modest weight to the combine anyway. They are more focused on a player's game film and spend many hours reviewing video. As the hierarchy of prospects begins to form, other key elements of information are introduced as well.
The defense needs secondary help, and Jermod McCoy certainly offers a strong probability to deliver an upgrade as a rookie. But that only happens if he is on the board at 13 and the team selects him.
Among the top dozen selections, NFL teams are reluctant to pounce on selecting anyone whom they have misgivings about. And McCoy's decision, while perfectly logical, could create that hesitation. Teams want a sure thing that early in the draft.
Did McCoy give them an excuse to look elsewhere?
The Horns won't be veering off. Their insistence on weighing decisions on game footage immunizes them from combine and pre-draft dramatics. Stocks do not rise or fall in LA. The powers-that-be set their board, and then trust themselves enough to follow through.
As always, thanks for reading.