As we approach April, the media has a clear eye on each of these top draft prospects. Now the exciting time of ‘draft buzz’ starts circling around. We start to hear about players dropping and players rising up boards.
We will keep our ears open to any Cowboys rumors and how it goes back and forth for the rest of the month. We will wait until April 23rd to have our true answer.
Not long ago, the Cowboys were hoping for names like Sonny Styles or Mansoor Delane to be available at pick 12. But the athletic testing from Styles and the demand for corner with Delane has caused their names to rise.
While names like Rueben Bain Jr. and Caleb Downs have fallen around pick 12. Some teams will be out on Bain due to his arm length and it will come down to a clean bill of health for Caleb Downs.
But Why Are They Mocking McCoy?
When you are reading the national media’s mock drafts, you have to remember how they build their mocks. These are not built on taking the best player, the national media guys like Todd McShay, Mel Kiper, and Field Yates are plugged into NFL teams.
These guys get the inside scoop and are tapped into real rumors that they hear from NFL front offices. So when you see that these three names have mocked Jermod McCoy to the Cowboys for the past 1-2 months, you should have questions.
For instance, Mel Kiper was one of the first and only people mocking Tyler Smith from Tulsa to the Cowboys a few years ago.
Despite the Cowboys making efforts to add to their secondary in free agency, why a corner at 12?
Directly from Mel Kiper’s write-up: “Dallas gave up a league-worst 7.3 yards per dropback last season, and the secondary was gashed for a league-high 46 passing plays of 25 or more yards. I liked the Jalen Thompson signing at safety, and Cobie Durant will chip in at cornerback alongside DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel Jr., but the Cowboys are still looking for their No. 1 cornerback.”
McCoy would be considered a top-10 pick in this class with no red flags if it wasn’t for the ultimate flag…Jermod McCoy tore his ACL in January of 2025, missed the entire season, and still has not worked out.
Would the Cowboys Take a “Hurt” Player?
Back at the Combine, Jerry made it clear, “We can’t afford to draft a redshirt guy.” Meaning the team has no interest in players who will need to take time to come back from injury.
The Cowboys need players ready to go. Jerry emphasized the need to go this year and try to win now.
As for McCoy…
He avoided running at the NFL Combine…which a lot of players do. But for him, he needs to run because teams are worried about his knee. We are 15 months post-surgery. He should be good to go.
The day to mark on your calendars is March 31st, the Tennessee Pro Day. Teams will be watching closely to see if McCoy is back to 100% or if it looks like he’s lost a step.
If McCoy checks out completely and doctors project he will be ready for training camp. His name should be in the conversation at 12. If he delays his running again, I would wave the flag and let someone else be the hero and take him. For the Cowboys, they can’t risk another injured cornerback.
Nick Harris of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram was one of the first Cowboys insiders to cross Jermod McCoy off the Cowboys Board, back in early March: “There are a lot of names on the draft board heading into April who could make sense with one of the two first-round picks. One name that I’m crossing off based on information this week: Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy.”
I think McCoy is a fantastic player; he played great in 2024. Not playing for a full season scares me a bit. Check out this wonderful breakdown on Jermod McCoy by Bryan Broaddus and Voch Lombardi on Crown Global Media.
Brett's Cowboys Corner 
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