As Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy plunged down the draft board, Green Bay Packers fans vacillated between opposing camps of thought.
On the one hand, how could you not take him, a one-time projected top 15 pick, if he fell into the Packers' lap at 52nd overall? The ACL injury that cost McCoy his 2025 season was evidently enough to scare most teams away. Perhaps the Packers would be the ones brave enough to gamble on a player some still considered to be the most talented in the draft, based on 2024 tape.
On the other, maybe McCoy's free-fall was a red flag indicating that teams with a win-now mindset, like the Packers, should steer clear at all costs. Green Bay evidently endorsed the latter approach, selecting South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse instead. That pick should have fans ecstatic.
It didn't take long for market consensus to back the Packers. McCoy remained on the board through the end of the second round … all the way through the third … and finally went to the Las Vegas Raiders with the first pick on Day 3, 49 spots after the Packers got their guy.
Packers made the correct call to draft Brandon Cisee over Jermod McCoy
They didn't cave for McCoy in the third round, either. Even with Cisse in the fold, doubling down at corner wouldn't have been the craziest thing in the world given McCoy's upside and Green Bay's needs at the position. Instead, the Packers addressed another key need in defensive tackle, moving up to take Missouri's Chris McClellan. Cornerback, check. DT, check.
Their discipline in eschewing McCoy only looks smarter after the fact. With 30 other teams doing the same thing, the Packers aren't uniquely insightful. But, without a legitimate No. 1 corner on the roster, snagging Pro-Bowl potential in Round 2 was a tantalizing premise. Credit Brian Gutekunst for resisting.
The Raiders finally ended McCoy's slide at 101st overall, swapping spots with the Buffalo Bills to take him. Las Vegas has time to be bad. If McCoy takes a year to fully recover, the Raiders can accommodate the delay. The Packers, who are chasing a Super Bowl, do not.
Of course, if the former Tennessee standout matures into a perennial All-Pro, Gutekunst and every other general manager who passed him over will look the fool. The flip side is that McCoy may never pay off his potential. There is no on-field data post-injury. Is McCoy one of the ones who come back even stronger, or an unfortunate example of the elite prospect whose career is derailed by a devastating injury?
Green Bay decided not to court that risk, a decision vindicated by 48 selections afterward. NFL fans will root for McCoy's success, but until further notice, call the Packers' choice of Cisse the right one.
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