Tennessee tracking prospects
- Tennessee is reportedly tracking prospects Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood in pre‑draft coverage. (x.com) - Social draft threads flagged both players as part of the Volunteers' draft conversation. (x.com) - College‑to‑pro interest could affect where those players are projected on Day 2 or later. (x.com)
Tennessee’s pre-draft picture runs through its secondary, with former Volunteers cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood drawing the most attention ahead of the 2026 National Football League draft. (nfl.com) McCoy entered the draft after missing the 2025 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but he told ESPN at the National Football League combine in February that he was fully healed and expected “no limits” at Tennessee’s pro day. ESPN reported last month that analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked McCoy No. 13 on his Big Board. (espn.com) Before the injury, McCoy made his case in 2024. ESPN’s game log credits him with 44 tackles, four interceptions and seven passes defended for Tennessee after he transferred from Oregon State. (espn.com) Hood took over as a starter in 2025 after arriving from Colorado during the spring transfer window. 247Sports reported that he started all 12 games, posted 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups, and returned both a fumble and an interception for touchdowns. (247sports.com) The draft process matters here because Tennessee produced two cornerbacks with different résumés at the same position. McCoy offers a higher pre-injury ceiling tied to his 2024 tape, while Hood put fresh 2025 production and combine testing in front of scouts. (espn.com, on3.com) National Football League draft grades place them close together. NFL.com’s draft tracker lists McCoy at 6.40 and Hood at 6.38, with both among Tennessee’s top-rated prospects in this class. (nfl.com) Hood also helped himself in Indianapolis. On3 reported combine numbers of 6-foot-0, 193 pounds, a 4.44-second 40-yard dash, a 40.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-0.5 broad jump. (on3.com) The two players arrived at Tennessee by different routes. McCoy began at Oregon State before transferring to Tennessee for the 2024 season, while Hood started at Auburn, transferred to Colorado in 2024 and then moved to Tennessee for 2025. (espn.com, 247sports.com) That leaves evaluators balancing two kinds of evidence in the same draft room: McCoy’s 2024 ball production and recovery timeline, and Hood’s one-year surge at Tennessee backed by recent testing. By the time Day 2 begins on April 24, both names are likely to stay in the Volunteers’ draft conversation. (espn.com, on3.com, nfl.com)
