The league is preparing for the start of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 23, but the Green Bay Packers won't join the party until Friday. Green Bay doesn't have a first-round pick, so barring a trade up, the Packers won't be on the clock until No. 52. While that reality means the team is out of the range of some of the best prospects, the franchise could receive a draft-night gift.
The draft is always unpredictable, and every year, there are top prospects who go much later than expected. This year, one of those prospects could be Tennessee corner Jermod McCoy.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently shared that McCoy is at risk of tumbling down the draft board, revealing that every team Breer has talked to says McCoy's knee is a major concern. Per Breer, there is concern about the corner's long-term health, which could result in him sliding to the second round.
Packers could land draft steal with cornerback Jermod McCoy projected to slide over health concerns
The defensive back is arguably the best corner in the draft, but he missed all of the 2025 season with a torn ACL. While McCoy posted some impressive testing numbers during the pre-draft process, teams are reportedly still concerned about his knee.
Breer compared McCoy's situation to Will Johnson's from last year. Johnson was considered one of the top corners in the draft, but concerns about the long-term health of his knee led to him going 47th overall to the Arizona Cardinals.
If McCoy sees a similar fate, he could go in the range of Green Bay's first pick, No. 52. If the Packers get lucky, they could stay there and select the corner, or he could fall far enough where a trade makes sense. Considering Green Bay's need in the secondary, the franchise may be willing to take a gamble on such a talented player.
Breer explained that it would make sense for a playoff team that sees McCoy as a No. 1 corner to select him, because the franchise could get immediate value as a contender. The Packers certainly fit that profile. So while there may be a long-term risk in selecting McCoy, it'd be hard to fault Green Bay for selecting a top-10 talent on day two of the draft.
The Packers don't typically take that kind of risk, but McCoy could transform their secondary.
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