{"id":852941,"date":"2026-04-04T08:57:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T08:57:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/852941\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T08:57:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T08:57:42","slug":"latest-intel-adds-another-layer-of-intrigue-to-dallas-cowboys-potential-first-round-plans-ahead-of-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/852941\/","title":{"rendered":"Latest intel adds another layer of intrigue to Dallas Cowboys’ potential first-round plans ahead of 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys say they don\u2019t want to draft redshirt rookies in 2026. But CB Jermod McCoy isn\u2019t considered that around the NFL, even less so after a successful Pro Day. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Tennessee
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy (3) celebrates after making a play during a college football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBrianna Paciorka\/News Sentinel \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Not that long ago, Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy felt like a big no-no<\/a> for the Dallas Cowboys. <\/p>\n

Their top first-round pick, No. 12 overall, is one they need to get right to turn around one of the worst defenses in franchise history. Using it on a player who last played in January of 2025 (and skipped the combine) seemed like a risk to big to take. <\/p>\n

But after McCoy ran a 4.38 40-yard dash in the Tennessee Pro Day<\/a>, could Dallas take a swing? The latest draft intel suggests so. <\/p>\n

Did Jermod McCoy\u2019s Pro Day boost his draft stock?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to know how much stock to put on McCoy\u2019s Pro Day. His testing numbers were impressive, but is it enough to answer questions about the \u201cring rust\u201d after so long without playing football? <\/p>\n

It seems like the NFL thinks so. In a recent ESPN article<\/a>, insider Matt Miller revealed McCoy\u2019s stock is on the rise. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe feedback I received from teams was that McCoy is back in the running for CB1,\u201d Miller wrote. \u201cThere were some questions even from the morning of the workout about what drills he would participate in. But he did everything, including positional drills.\u201d <\/p>\n

Working in positional drills matters because NFL teams saw McCoy change direction, which is often one of the biggest questions after a torn ACL. His Pro Day went so well that the Cowboys could be his floor when April comes around. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile (LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane\u2019s) elite final season might keep him in the top spot, both players feel like top-12 locks,\u201d Miller added. <\/p>\n

Cowboys don\u2019t want redshirt rookies but\u2026<\/p>\n

Earlier in the year, Cowboys owner and general manager said the team couldn\u2019t afford to draft a redshirt rookie. The thing with McCoy is that label doesn\u2019t befit him. Redshirt rookies don\u2019t run the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds. <\/p>\n

With the former Tennessee Vol, the question isn\u2019t so much if he\u2019ll be ready for the season but rather how well will he play over a year since he last took the field? <\/p>\n

The film will make it very tough to pass on McCoy if he\u2019s there at No. 12 overall. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Nov\t\t<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys News<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got a new mock draft simulator at A to Z Sports and we\u2019re making the most of it with a seven-round Cowboys mock draft. And yes, it features a first-round trade. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys say they don\u2019t want to draft redshirt rookies in 2026. But CB Jermod McCoy isn\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":852942,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2066],"tags":[230,229,257,2461,7,7489,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-852941","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-cowboys","8":"tag-cowboys","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-cowboys","11":"tag-dallascowboys","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-jermod-mccoy","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116345616048447881","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=852941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/852942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=852941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=852941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=852941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}