RED FLAG: Will Dallas Cowboys PASS On Jermod McCoy Despite STRONG Pro Day Performance?

Summary

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Locked On Cowboys – April 1, 2026

Episode Theme:
RED FLAG: Will the Dallas Cowboys Pass on Jermod McCoy Despite a Strong Pro Day Performance?

Hosts: Marcus Mosher & Landon McCool

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on the draft stock of Jermod McCoy, a cornerback heavily linked to the Dallas Cowboys. The hosts debate whether the Cowboys should select him at pick 12 after a strong pro day showing, addressing concerns about his previous ACL injury, missed events, and overall draft outlook. They provide nuanced reactions to his testing numbers and reflect on what it means for Dallas’s draft strategy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jermod McCoy’s Pro Day Performance

• Marcus Mosher [01:12]:
  • Reports that McCoy ran a 4.38–4.41 second 40-yard dash, with a 37.5-inch vertical and 10'7" broad jump at his Tennessee pro day.
  • McCoy didn’t participate in the NFL Combine and previously missed the Senior Bowl due to injury, raising concerns about his health and athletic readiness.
  • Quote:

    “This was a concern for us because he’s 14 months removed from ACL surgery, didn’t do anything, missed, skipped out on the Senior Bowl. Do you feel better about him now that he ran and do you see him being an option at 12 again?”

Injury Concerns and Risk Evaluation

• Landon McCool [02:24]:
  • Expresses mixed feelings, appreciating the new athletic data but remains unsatisfied due to limited change-of-direction drills and absence from key events.
  • Concerned by the “linear” nature of McCoy’s testing—sprinting and leaping rather than agility-intensive drills.
  • Quote:

    “I still didn’t see too much where he was changing directions a bunch. I still didn’t see, you know, I think the testing that he did was a vertical and a 40. Very linear moving... Flipping your hips isn’t quite the same thing as really having to plant and turn and shift your weight.” [03:13]

• Marcus Mosher [03:26]:
  • Notes a video suggesting McCoy does not fully trust his surgically repaired knee, especially when needing to “drive off that knee”—a crucial trait for a cornerback.
• Landon McCool [03:53]:
  • Questions the timeline of McCoy’s recovery and the pattern of missing events: skipped his final year, the Senior Bowl, the Combine—only participated in the minimum at his pro day.
  • Suggests if Dallas passes on McCoy at 12, there may be medical red flags not visible to the public.
  • Quote:

    “If he’s on the—if the Cowboys are on the clock at 12 and he’s available and they don’t take him, I’m not going to be shocked because it’s probably going to be something that's still wrong with that knee...”

  • Admits wanting to “love this” prospect given his upside, but remains very nervous.
  • Quote:

    “I would inhale sharply if he was taken at 12.” [05:47]

Draft Range Projection & Value Discussion

• Marcus Mosher [08:36]:
  • Predicts McCoy will be available when Dallas picks at 12, noting even less-serious injuries have caused prospects to slide.
  • Cites Christian Gonzalez as a comparable case: highly ranked but fell due to minor injury concerns.
  • Quote:

    “I think he goes somewhere between picks 13 and 19, if I had to bet. And I do think Dallas should pass here. I get the upside, but I’m just nervous... They need instant starters that don’t have these lingering injury questions.”

• Landon McCool [07:27]:
  • Explains draft stock entirely depends on team medical evaluations.
  • If healthy, McCoy might go top 10—his sophomore tape is strong and the draft class at the position is weak.
  • If not, it’s feasible he slides to Dallas or beyond.
  • Quote:

    “All the breadcrumbs left by this situation sure kind of paint a really dicey situation. … I just don’t think the Cowboys should necessarily invest heavily in a spot where there’s a chance that this player may not be able to make a second contract or be of value at all on their rookie deal.” [09:42]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the risk of limited recovery:

  “It doesn’t mean you can’t run a fast 40-yard dash because you’re just going straight. But… fully trusting [the knee] when you’re in your backpedal and then getting up to speed, that’s the last part.”
  —Marcus Mosher [03:26]

• On the discomfort with McCoy’s process:

  “If he doesn’t test… next week… I would probably just completely have him off the board because… that very much seemed like someone who is hiding something.”
  —Landon McCool [02:24]

• On draft-day decisions:

  “They need guys that can play right now… I think it’s okay to pass here. I really do.”
  —Marcus Mosher [08:36]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Pro Day Numbers & Immediate Reaction: 01:12–02:24
• Injury Timeline Concerns & Missed Opportunities: 02:24–05:47
• Should Dallas Draft Him? Draft Range and Medical Outlook: 07:27–10:30

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Summary

The hosts agree McCoy’s athletic testing is promising but question his readiness due to a lack of full agility testing and a concerning injury timeline. Both express trepidation about spending a premium draft pick on a player with such unresolved medical and durability questions, especially one the franchise would count on to contribute immediately. Unless the Cowboys’ internal medical team clears McCoy to their total satisfaction, the consensus is it may be wiser to pass if he’s on the board at 12—despite the tantalizing upside.

Useful for listeners:
If you want a detailed beat on the Cowboys’ draft decision-making, injury-risk philosophy, and how front offices parse medical red flags in draft evaluations, this is an episode not to miss.

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Transcript

[Marcus Mosher]

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[Ross Jackson]

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Notes

[Marcus Mosher]

J. McCoy ran a blazing 40 yard dash in his pro day. We'll tell you what that means for his draft stock next. You are Locked On Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys Podcast. I am Marcus Mosher. He is Lana McCool. And on today's show we're talking about Jermad McCoy, a frequently mocked cornerback to the Dallas Cowboys in his pro day at Tennessee. According to several reports, he ran somewhere between a 438 and a 44140 yard dash. Let's call it 4 4. He had a 37 and a half inch vertical. He had a 107 broad jump after not doing anything at the NFL combine. This was a concern for us because he's 14 months removed from ACL surgery, didn't do anything, missed, skipped out on the the Senior Bowl. Do you feel better about him now that you now that he ran and do you see him being an option at 12 again?

[Lana McCool]

I I feel better about him, but I don't know if I feel good about him. Right. Like I certainly, I think what the way I phrased it last week is, if he doesn't test or do anything next week, meaning today or Tuesday, is that I would probably just completely have him off the board because that means, I mean, just think about all the things that he skipped his last year of college. He skipped the Senior bowl, he skipped the combine and Then he skipped, would have skipped his pro day like that. That very much seemed like someone who is hiding something. As it stands now, he comes out, he does a certain amount of testing. I still didn't see too much where he was changing directions a bunch. I still didn't see, you know, I think the testing that he did was a vertical and a 40. Right.

[Marcus Mosher]

And to me, I believe linear moves, right?

[Lana McCool]

Very linear moving, you know, and, and, and I think the change of direction, flipping your hips isn't quite the same thing as really having to plant and turn and, and, and shift your weight over it.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, I did, I did see one video. There was one that got tweeted out and I think I told you, like, he just, it's pretty clear he still doesn't fully trust like driving off that knee, which is again, understandable. It doesn't mean that you can't run a fast 40 yard dash because you're just going straight. But I think for a lot of athletes that are coming back from ACL injuries, it's that last part of fully trusting it when you're in your backpedal and then getting up to speed.

[Lana McCool]

I think we're at the point now where the questions that I still have around this player, I'm not going to get the answers to. No, right. Like why, why did you not play last year? If, if, like, you know, I heard other people trying to talk afterwards that saying that he was actually cleared to play a senior year, why didn't he play or not? Senior. His junior year, right? Junior year, yeah. Why didn't he play? If he was cleared to play in the Senior Bowl? Why, why didn't you, why didn't you perform at the combine? Like, I understand the whole idea of like trying to get ready for everything, but then even then on the pro day, like you come out and you do three tests and I, I, like I said, I, I didn't see work. Maybe he did more positional stuff and we didn't see it and that, and he looked great. I don't know. But, but all I do know is that this time, like, I still have questions about the timeline of the way this all unfolded and I'm not going to get those answers because I'm not a team with the medical staff. But I'll just say this. If he's on the, if he's on the clock, if we're, the Cowboys are on the clock at 12 and he's available and they don't take him, I'm not going to be shocked because it's probably going to be the something that's still wrong with that knee that is indicated by the fact that it took him way longer to get back from this knee injury than everybody. Then not just like it'd be one thing if people didn't set expectations, but at all these different points. There were expectations said like there was an expectation that he was going to come back his junior year and he didn't. He was invited and there was an expectation he would come to the Senior Bowl. He didn't. And he obviously was invited to the combine and, and decided not to go to that. And so he did do the pro day, obviously, but that's the bare minimum. Right. And so I just still have questions. I really, I want to love this. I want him to work out because obviously it would be incredible for the Cowboys. I'm just nervous. Like I would, I would, I would inhale sharply if he was taken at 12.

[Marcus Mosher]

So let's talk about it. Should the Cowboys select him if he is on the board at 12? And will he even be there? We'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by Robin Hood. What if sports were traded like markets? Now you can put your sports IQ to work in real time with Robin Hood prediction markets. It's not you against the house. It's you participating in a live market. You can buy or sell your positions live all game long. Use your sports knowledge in the moments that matter. Robin Hood prediction markets changes the game. It's people moving the action so we when the momentum shifts, you can move with it. I've always known the game but never had a dynamic way to apply that knowledge. Now I can actually take part live in a market powered by people. You're no longer just a spectator. Play by play. You decide. Trade every play with Robin Hood now available across the U.S. download the Robin Hood app now to begin futures and cleared swap trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. And event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives llc, a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. Welcome back to the Lock on Cowboys podcast. We'd like to remind you about the everyday club. Join us, talk football, talk Cowboys all day long. Go to locon cowboys supercast.com to join the club and come join us in the Discord server. All right, Landon, here's my question for you. Number one, do you think he's available at 12 when the Cowboys are on the clock? And number two, should they draft him?

[Lana McCool]

I don't know. I do, I, I, I, I do wonder exactly where he's going to be picked now because, you know, if there are medical stuff, then I, it's going to be, it could be anywhere, right? If there's no medical, if all the teams go and look at the knee and everyone looks at it and he's clear, I wouldn't be shocked if he was taken in the top 10 because suddenly now we're talking about a new or at least a guy that's competing for cornerback one in this class. And in a class in which there isn't a bunch of blue, blue chip prospects, I think it's easy to kind of squint your eyes at his sophomore year tape and go, that's the best tape of football that, that we've got in this class or certainly the best cornerback tape that we've got in this class. So I think I wouldn't be shocked if he was taken, you know, in the top 10 picks if he was healthy or at least if teams thought that he was healthy enough. I wouldn't be shocked if, like I said, if the, if he gets the Cowboys at 12 and they say no because he, because everyone's concerned about the long term health of his knees. So I think it's probably about a 50, 50 chance that he's there at the Cowboys and then beyond that, I have no idea.

[Marcus Mosher]

I do think he's going to be available just because I've seen this before where even cornerbacks that have had lesser injuries fall down the board. I mean, Christian Gonzalez, who was about as clean as a prospect as there was, had some soft tissue injuries, thought he was, you know, maybe the third or fourth best player in the draft. I think he fell all the way down to 15. He had Emmanuel Forbes drafted ahead of him. He was the third corner drafted in his class. Jermod McCoy, I don't think is Christian Gonzalez as a prospect and he's got a far bigger injury. I, I think he goes somewhere between picks 13 and 19 if I had to bet. And I, I do think Dallas should pass here. I, I get the upside, but I'm, I'm just nervous about cornerbacks that still don't look 100 explosive after 14 months and who have missed this much time and what it's going to look like in year one. They need guys that can play right now and that's just the, the truth of the matter. They need instant starters that don't have these lingering injury questions. I, I think it's okay to pass here. I really do.

[Lana McCool]

That's, you know, that's where I'm probably at too, is that there's just a lot of risk. You know, it's and you need to nail these picks as best you can. And even though there's a lot of upside, there's obviously some talent. The talent there, I don't know that it's so much that I'm willing to overlook. You know, the, I mean, risk again, the Cowboys are going to have a better idea than what we do, right? They're going to have medical professionals looking at these, just grasping in the dark. But all the the breadcrumbs left by this situation sure kind of paint a really dicey situation. And I just don't think the Cowboys should necessarily invest heavily in a spot where there's a chance that this player, you know, may not be able to make a second contract or, you know, be of value at all on their on their rookie deal.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right, that is it for today's show. We'd like to thank you for making Lockdown Cowboys your first listen every single day. Make sure you subscribe and follow to get all of the latest episod and if you never miss an episode, the everyday club is built for you. Get locked on Cowboys ad free members only, discord access and so much more. Head over to lockboys supercast.com to join the club. And for those of you on video, we can send you the first ever 24.7national NBA YouTube channel and on audio, make your second listen the locked on NFL Draft podcast. Follow Landon on Twitter @McCool BCB. I'm @Marcus Underscore Moser and and we will see you right back here tomorrow.

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