HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Las Vegas Raiders are itching to see cornerback Jermod McCoy play with more freedom.
In the few times McCoy practiced during OTAs, they saw a glimpse of the skillset that made many across the league view the former Tennessee star as a potential first-round pick. However, concerns about the longevity of his knee led him to fall to the fourth round of the 2026 draft, where the Raiders took him.
"He jumps out when he does individual [drills] with how explosive he is, and you see the talent," defensive coordinator Rob Leonard said.
McCoy's limited action during Las Vegas' offseason program wasn't due to any setbacks. It was a part of the team's recovery plan for the 20-year-old after McCoy missed the entire 2025 college football season due to a torn ACL.
The Raiders have had McCoy spend a lot of time with wellness coordinator Alex Guerrero and the medical staff, rehabbing so that he can play with fewer restrictions when training camp begins in late July.
Coach Klint Kubiak said the process has been slow. But he expects the team's patience to be rewarded when McCoy steps onto the practice field next month, setting up for an intriguing training camp battle amongst their young cornerbacks.
"He's done a great job," Kubiak said. "We're asking him to spend a lot of time with [Guerrero] just to get him ready, so that when we put him out there come training camp, we have 100% confidence in him. [We are] really excited about seeing him practice come training camp."
After McCoy, the 101st overall pick, was drafted, he said his knee was fine. Even though McCoy didn't participate in the scouting combine, he performed well at Tennessee's pro day. He completed the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, while recording a 38-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-7 broad jump.
There were questions as to whether McCoy might have needed another procedure on his knee. The Raiders, however, opted against it, trusting their medical staff to have McCoy ready for the regular season.
McCoy's time on the field this spring was very limited. At rookie minicamp in May, he did agility drills on a field separate from the other players and fielded punts. His workload increased during the team's second OTA practice later in the month. He was involved in walkthroughs and individual drills before being sidelined for team drills.
McCoy was not seen for the rest of the OTAs and mandatory minicamp practices that were opened to the media.
Defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Joe Woods said the time that McCoy spent away from football won't be as impactful. It's a matter of improving McCoy's knowledge of the defense and his responsibilities within the scheme.
"Football is football. ...For me, the hardest thing is I really want to do more fundamental drills with him just to develop them the way I see," said Woods, who is entering his second season in Las Vegas. "But that whole process, he's fine. When we had him, it was like he didn't miss any time."
Kubiak anticipates McCoy getting plenty of reps at training camp. But McCoy will be looked at under a microscope, as the staff wants to make sure he doesn't have any health setbacks.
With extended playing time during camp, the Raiders are hopeful that McCoy can flash the man-to-man coverage ability and ball skills as he did for Tennessee in 2024. That season, he was named first-team All-SEC after recording four interceptions and nine pass breakups in 13 games.
McCoy also gave up a completion rate of 41.9% and a QBR of 15.2 when targeted, and allowed fewer than 10 yards per reception in nine games.
"I mean, corners that can cover are rare," Leonard said.
If McCoy is not limited at training camp, outside cornerback could be one of the more intriguing position battles outside of quarterback and guard.
Veteran cornerback Eric Stokes is expected to start. He re-signed with the Raiders on a three-year, $30 million deal after he had one of the best seasons in his career. Stokes totaled 53 tackles and five pass breakups in 2025. He was targeted 55 times, allowing 338 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Opposing quarterbacks had a 54.5% completion rate and a passer rating of 85.3 against him.
It's just a matter of who will start on the opposite side of Stokes. The answer will most likely come down to second-year cornerback Darien Porter, McCoy and fifth-round pick (175th overall) Hezekiah Masses.
"The back end is extremely competitive, it's day-to-day," Leonard said. "Those young guys are hungry."
Porter, a third-round pick in 2025, started in 10 of 17 games as a rookie last season. As the nearest defender, Porter gave up 21 catches for 285 yards, a completion rate of 63.6% and a 91.1 passer rating. But his performance last season doesn't guarantee him the starting role in 2026.
The door is wide open for McCoy to beat out Porter for the starting job. Masses shouldn't be slept on, either. His lone season at California Berkley in 2025 was the best of his collegiate career. He totaled 14 pass breakups, five interceptions and a passer rating of 27.3. Masses alternated first team reps with Porter during mandatory minicamp.
No matter how the competition shakes out, the Raiders feel that they have a strong group of young cornerbacks that can grow together. At the same time, there's not a lot of proven talent at cornerback, outside of Stokes and Taron Johnson, meaning the Raiders will need McCoy and the rest of the young defensive backs to step up early if they want to have success on defense.
"I love the new guys," Stokes said. "I just can't wait to see how they're going to develop. ...It's always a challenge, but I feel like that we got the right guys and we got the right people in the room to help them grow."
