Outside of Fernando Mendoza, Jermod McCoy probably has the highest ceiling of any player the Raiders added in the 2026 draft, but so much of McCoy future is going to be dependent on his surgically repaired knee.
There were reportedly other teams willing to draft McCoy in the fourth round, and if his knee holds up for a few years there are going to be teams wishing they had jumped on him in the third round.
For now, the Raiders are easing McCoy into action, but according to Silver & Black Sports Network’s Jesse Merrick, there is already something noticeable about the way McCoy carries himself on the field.
“Anybody that’s been around athletes knows this, and all these guys that play are athletes, but you can just tell how springy guys are and the way they walk. That’s one of those things that stands out a lot of times. And you watch [McCoy] and you’re just like, ‘Yeah, I can tell he’s a freak of nature athlete,'” Merrick said Raider Nation Radio’s JT the Brick Show.
“As I’m watching him, I’m sitting there trying to see like, okay, where does he look hampered by this knee? Because it is such a big deal in the storyline. And yes, they’re keeping him on a pitch count and kind of limiting what he’s doing and everything like that. But if you had no idea that he had this knee problem, you wouldn’t notice it out there on the field,” Merrick continued.
“I don’t say that to say ‘Oh, he’s ready to go now.’ Temper expectations [and] see what it looks like over the course of a really big workload. But he does look like a dude where you watch him and you’re like, ‘Okay, I can see the movement skills. I can see the fluidity and just like how easy it is for him to reach that top gear.’ So I’m interested to see if and when we get a chance to look at this kid in one-on-one type situations and I think the rest of the guys in that room are too.”
“I mean, you heard him at the press conference yesterday saying that he looks like the guy they saw on film. So if it transpires to be that, this is not a sensational statement to make. [If] he is that guy that they think he is, that’s going to completely transform that cornerback room…”
Looking ahead to the preseason, everyone will be excited to see Fernando Mendoza, but McCoy will bring intrigue of his own considering he was considered by many to be a top 10 player in the draft if healthy.
Did the Raiders walk away with one of the most impressive hauls of the 2026 draft?
ESPN’s Field Yates said the Raiders were the only team to draft five of his top 100 players in this year’s draft, and if McCoy’s knee can hold up, they added arguably the most talented cornerback in the draft in the fourth round.
But according to CBS Sports Mike Renner, one of the Raiders’ best value picks was Texas A&M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn in the third round. Zuhn struggled at times in college as a run blocker, but he received the highest grade in college football from Pro Football Focus in pass protection.
The Raiders are expected to deploy Zuhn as a guard, but Renner said 23-year-old can play anywhere along the offensive line and will be a good fit in Klint Kubiak’s scheme.
“With the 91st pick, the Las Vegas Raiders select Texas A&M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn. This is an A plus pick. When you get a guy who’s in my top 50 at 91 overall, I’m obviously going to love it,” Renner said earlier this month on Pushing the Pile.
“I love it for a number of reasons. One is that Zuhn is super versatile. He’s played left tackle for the majority of his career, but he’s also played center this past year at Texas A&M. I think he could play guard as well. The second reason, he’s super athletic. I mean, the guy on the move is great. He uses his hands really well. His lateral agility is exactly what he’ll need in Klint Kubiak’s offense. In that running scheme, I think he’s a plug and play starter with how much football he’s played. And if you’re getting a plug and play starter on the offensive line at pick 91, you’re hitting a home run.”
Renner thinks Zuhn will end up starting in his first NFL season, and Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers shared a similar sentiment on his podcast.
“[His versatility] will be perfect for that Klint Kubiak offensive line scheme that they like to run, that outside blocking scheme. That’s what I believe and that’s why I believe he’s going to be a day one starter [and] he’s going to have the ability to step right in,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast last month.
“He’s got plenty of games played in college. I just really like what he’s going to bring to the table. I think he’s going to help solidify that offensive line. That was a big-time weakness [and] Achilles heel for the Raiders in 2025. I think it’s going to be a strength in 2026.”
x: @raidersbeat