KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Raiders selected Jermod McCoy in Round 4 despite a torn ACL and bone plug issue that worried other teams
• Eight teams were consulted on draft weekend – five took him off their board entirely, three said no for medical reasons
• Yahoo! Sports reported he might need a second surgery that could sideline him for another year
• Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders have done extensive homework and are currently optimistic he can avoid another surgery and play in 2026

THE NEWS

Jermod McCoy was a first-round talent. He played like it. He scouted like it. And then his knee became the thing that changed everything.

The Raiders selected McCoy with the 101st overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft – a pick they acquired by trading up – and the medical report that caused him to slide that far is now coming into clearer focus. The torn ACL that cost him the entire 2025 college season also came with a bone plug issue that led to a second round of medical evaluations. Yahoo! Sports reported after the draft that McCoy might need a second surgery that could sideline him for another year.

But the Raiders, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, have done their homework. They’ve consulted specialists. They’ve talked to teams. And right now, the organization is “optimistic” he can avoid another surgery and play in 2026.

GM John Spytek confirmed the process. On “Up & Adams” Wednesday, he laid out what the team did: “We checked with eight teams on draft weekend. Five said he was off their board entirely. Three said no.” Then Spytek made the call anyway. “We’re optimistic about the player, the person, and our plan with him. We’re excited to get him out on the grass sometime very soon.”

The risk was real. Other franchises saw it and passed. But the Raiders saw something else: a player who, if healthy, gives them one of the best cover corners in the draft class. McCoy was the best pure man-corner available before his injury. He has the length and recovery speed to erase WR1s. In a division with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert twice a year, that kind of corner changes how you play defense.

WALK THE PLANK

John Spytek just bet on a 101st overall pick with medical red flags that scared off 31 other teams. That’s either brilliance or recklessness – and we won’t know which one for a while.

But here’s the thing: he knew what he was looking at. Spytek didn’t just take a flyer on a guy with a bad knee. He talked to eight teams, got real answers, and made an informed decision. That’s not gambling. That’s scouting.

The kid was a first-round talent who fell because of circumstances beyond his control. The ACL injury happened during a game, not in a training facility. The bone plug issue is a complication from the repair. These things happen. And they don’t always mean the same thing twice.

If McCoy plays this season – and right now, the Raiders think he will – this is one of the best picks in the entire draft. A top-15 talent at corner, available at 101 because the rest of the league got scared off by what-ifs.

Spytek took the what-ifs head-on. Now he just needs the knee to cooperate.