Leading up to the NFL Draft, Jermod McCoy was viewed as a potential first-round pick, but he ultimately fell to Day 3, where the Raiders selected him with the No. 101 pick.

McCoy suffered a torn right ACL in January 2025 and missed all of last season. Just weeks before the draft, multiple reports indicated that some teams had labeled McCoy’s knee as degenerative.

According to Pro Football Doc, the ACL itself was never the main concern. The bigger issue was the associated damage around the knee, which is far more important to McCoy’s long-term outlook. Reports of a “plug” suggest full-thickness cartilage loss, raising major questions about durability and longevity.

“Then news came out that he might need another surgery, and even that wasn’t a death knell from the first round,” Pro Football Doc said. “But when they said he had a plug, what’s a plug? A plug is an osteochondral graft — articular cartilage with bone underneath — which means the original injury knocked off articular cartilage down to bone.

“And plugs are cartilage transplantation, whether his own tissue or from a cadaver. They don’t last. And it’s not to worry about needing another surgery, because if that other surgery were just a meniscus trim, the worry is he’s already got arthritis from the ACL injury, and he already has a plug and might need another one.

“That’s why from the get-go, we’re saying more likely Day 3 than Day 1. Right? I mean, it only takes one to prove you wrong. If one team wanted to take a flyer on him, but medically, does he fail a physical today? Probably. Could he return to play some football? Probably. But to me, medically, that’s a Day 3 pick, not Day 1.

“And obviously people were surprised about Day 1, but you and I talked about Day 2 was no given either. And obviously, it’s a Day 3 pick.”

There have also been reports that McCoy might need additional knee surgery, something he said he would be open to if the Raiders believe it is best for his long-term career.

“All of my doctors that did my surgery told me I’m good,” McCoy said. “But if there’s something that the Raiders want me to do for the longevity of my career, I’m willing to do that because I feel like they have my best interest.”

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