The Las Vegas Raiders may have found their biggest diamond in the rough of the 2026 NFL Draft—and according to ESPN, it's the second biggest steal of the entire weekend.
When Day 3 of the draft rolled around, teams were scanning the board for hidden gems. But one name stood out like a sore thumb: Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy. Once projected as a potential top-10 pick, McCoy was still available deep into the fourth round. The reason? Concerns over his knee.
While many teams had completely removed McCoy from their draft boards, the Raiders saw an opportunity. They traded a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Buffalo Bills to move up just one spot, ensuring they landed the talented cornerback at pick No. 101. It was a calculated gamble—waiting until the potential return on talent matched the risk in draft capital.
ESPN's Matt Miller quickly named McCoy the second biggest steal of the entire draft, only behind the Dallas Cowboys landing No. 3 overall prospect Caleb Down at pick 11. Miller explained: "There's always a really good player who slips due to injury. Ranked as my No. 10 overall prospect, McCoy fell to No. 101 based on concerns that a surgical procedure he had following a January 2025 ACL tear might need to be redone. But McCoy was cleared to work out at Tennessee's pro day and excelled with a 4.38-second 40-yard dash. Las Vegas aggressively attacked its secondary needs, but getting McCoy here could be the weekend's biggest steal if he's healthy. It was a smart bet and shows that general manager John Spytek is correctly thinking about risk, value, and potential."
The Raiders did their homework. According to another ESPN report, the team is optimistic about McCoy's chances to play in 2026 and avoid a redshirt season or immediate surgery. For a franchise looking to rebuild its secondary with high-upside talent, this fourth-round pick could be the kind of move that defines a draft class.
For Raiders fans, McCoy represents hope—a player with first-round talent who fell into their lap because of injury questions. If he stays healthy, Las Vegas may have just landed one of the biggest steals in recent memory.