One of the biggest stories of the draft was the fall of former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy. Many thought he was the top cornerback prospect in the class, but a knee injury led to him getting taken off many draft boards.
Instead of being a top-10 pick, he fell to the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round. There was concern that he would need additional knee surgery, which would’ve kept him out for his rookie season.
The Raiders have decided against having him go under the knife for now, but he’s still a player to watch closely. The good news is that he has looked good to start training camp.
However, it looks like the Raiders have had their first scare. According to The Athletic’s Sam Warren, McCoy was not at the team’s Thursday training camp practice.
It remains to be seen why he wasn’t practicing. Now, this could just be part of the plan. There’s no reason to push him too hard yet. But it is a reminder that McCoy is going to have these kinds of scares throughout his career.
McCoy Has Been Solid in Camp So Far
While McCoy is a first-round talent, he only cost a fourth-round pick. That’s why it was worth it for the Raiders to take a risk, but there’s still a chance he’s only going to have a short NFL career.
Right now, the team is just happy that he’s able to practice and head coach Klint Kubiak likes what he’s seen from him so far.
“Yeah, I think he’s been available for three days, which is a really positive start,” Kubiak told reporters. “So, just keep stacking days; we’ll keep monitoring his mileage, and just see how he comes in and recovers the next day. But to see him out there getting as much work as he’s getting has been excellent.”
McCoy’s Stock Up?
If McCoy stays healthy, he’ll compete for a starting spot this season. Eric Stokes is one of the starters on the outside, and Darien Porter, Hezekiah Masses and McCoy are competing for the other starting job.
Porter appears to be the leader in the clubhouse right now, and Masses has been turning a lot of heads. That said, Warren noted that McCoy’s stock is going up.
“The rookie has had some hiccups on the field; he got beat by Shedrick Jackson on a go ball on Sunday, forcing him to commit a holding penalty to avoid giving up a touchdown,” Warren wrote. “But he’s also shown signs of his elite talent, such as when he broke up a slant to E.J. Williams earlier in the practice.
“McCoy just being available has him headed in the right direction. The more snaps he gets, the more his skills will begin to show.”
The Raiders’ cornerback room is very young but has a chance to be deep if Porter, Masses and McCoy can all play. Early signs are looking strong, but the young players still have a lot to prove.
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