There was a report, from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as far back as the NFL draft combine in February noting that the Dallas Cowboys would not take Tennessee star cornerback Jermod McCoy because of concerns over the state of his knee. Still, mock draft after mock draft penciled McCoy in at No. 12 to Dallas because he has immense talent–McCoy ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash on March 31 at his pro day–and the Cowboys need cornerback help.
But just days before the draft, more reports about McCoy’s knee surfaced. He originally tore his ACL in January 2025, and did not play at all last season. But multiple reports suggested that, despite a good showing at the pro day, McCoy’s knee was still being red-flagged.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media noted that medical staffs around the league fear McCoy could require another surgery to repair one of the bone plugs in McCoy’s knee. That could mean another season out for McCoy, and the Cowboys have declared themselves dead-set on getting players who can help the team immediately in the NFL draft.
Cowboys Passed on Jermod McCoy in 3rd Round
The Cowboys, as expected, passed on McCoy in the first round on Thursday. When their pick came up on Friday, at No. 92, McCoy was still on the board, but the Cowboys still did not bite, taking linebacker Jaishawn Barham instead. Now, the Cowboys have three of the next 37 picks coming up in the fourth round, and if McCoy is still on the board, perhaps his talent is worth a gamble.
But Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News writes, don’t expect that to be the case. The Cowboys have steered clear of “redshirt” situations thus far in the draft, as they said they would. And, Hoyt writes, “But what about taking a flier on McCoy, who has knee issues, or another talented player with potential injury concerns in the fourth round on Saturday? The Cowboys’ policy on redshirts, it appears, still likely applies.”
He quoted Jerry Jones from his Friday presser saying, “We think we’re going to get players in the fourth round.”
Cowboys ‘Rebuilt This Defense’ in NFL Draft
It’s not a big surprise that, with three NFL draft picks in the books, the Cowboys have almost exclusively focused on the defense. That was the case in free agency, too, and Jones said he’s happy with where the team is.
“We have been able to, as of right now, rebuild this defense,” Jones said. “We’ve put a newness to the system, a newness to the coaching staff. … We’ve changed this defense. If it were just last year the way we played on defense, then that might not have called for this. But this is a product of three, four, five years, maybe more, of not getting where we’re trying to go and be a contender.
“In general, when I lay my head down tonight, I’m going to say, ‘We’re doing something about (fixing) the defense on this team.’”
3 Picks in the 4th Round of the NFL Draft, Then 1 in the 7th
The Cowboys do figure to have an interesting day on Saturday, Day 3 of the draft, because of the three fourth-round picks they have after making a deal with the Eagles in the first round to move back from No. 20 to No. 23. After those fourth-rounders, the Cowboys do not pick again until the seventh round.
Here’s the updated look at where the Cowboys’ NFL draft board stands.
- Round 1, Pick 11: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State.
- Round 1, Pick 23 (from PHI): Malachi Lawrence, DE, UCF.
- Round 3, Pick 92 (from SF): Jaishawn Barham, DE, Michigan.
- Round 4, Pick 112: (Own Pick).
- Round 4, Pick 114 (via PHI):.
- Round 4, Pick 137 (Compensatory):.
- Round 7, Pick 218 (from TEN):.
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