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The Tennessee Volunteers made a loud first round statement in Daniel Jeremiah’s 2026 NFL Mock Draft 1.0, published on NFL.com, placing two defensive backs inside the top 12 and reinforcing the program’s growing reputation for NFL ready talent.
At No. 10 overall, Jeremiah projects Jermod McCoy to the Cincinnati Bengals, pointing to the strength of McCoy’s earlier tape despite a lost season. “McCoy missed the 2025 season due to injury, but his 2024 tape was outstanding,” Jeremiah wrote. He added that McCoy is “squarely in the mix to be the top CB in the draft,” a notable endorsement given the depth expected at the position.
Two picks later, at No. 12, Jeremiah sends Colton Hood to the Dallas Cowboys. While acknowledging that Dallas could target an edge rusher in the first round, Jeremiah said he would like to see the Cowboys “upgrade the secondary, too,” calling Hood a “plug and play starter” who could make an immediate impact at the next level.
For Tennessee, the pairing is significant. Two cornerbacks from the same program. Two top 12 selections. And two different evaluations that arrive at the same conclusion.
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McCoy is valued for his ceiling and elite tape, while Hood earns praise for his polish and readiness. Together, they underscore how far Tennessee’s defensive development has come and how strongly NFL evaluators view the Volunteers’ secondary.
While they did not crack the first round in this mock, Tennessee still has two additional prospects firmly in the Day 2 conversation, with enough upside to push their way into the opening round as the process unfolds.
Wide receiver Chris Brazzell is currently projected as a second round pick and has steadily built momentum with his size, ball skills, and ability to win on the outside. Edge rusher Joshua Josephs carries a similar projection, viewed as a Day 2 selection with traits NFL teams covet, particularly his burst and physicality off the edge.
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Taken together, it gives Tennessee four realistic early round draft candidates, a reflection of both top end talent and depth within the program. Long before April arrives, the Volunteers have already established themselves as one of the most represented teams in early draft conversations, and the evaluation process is only just beginning.
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