With draft season in full swing for the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys have frequently been connected to the top cornerbacks in the 2026 class.
Cornerback is clearly a position of need for the franchise, so it makes sense that many mock drafts have Dallas taking a corner with its 12th-overall pick. However, the Cowboys may need to stay away from one of the top corners after a report out of the NFL Combine.
Jermod McCoy, considered one of the best players in the draft class, announced that he won’t be doing any workouts in Indianapolis. A lot of players opt out of different activities, but his situation is especially noteworthy because he missed all of the 2025 season after tearing his ACL in January of 2025.
Simply put, Dallas can’t afford to gamble on the injured corner, despite his talent.
CB Jermod McCoy has been cleared but is going to wait until Pro Day to work out and test for NFL teams. Nothing at Combine.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 26, 2026
He wants a little more training time in his return from the ACL.
Jermod McCoy is not worth the gamble for the Dallas Cowboys
McCoy spoke with the media on Thursday, and he explained that he is medically cleared for football activities, but he wants a little more training time before he goes through pre-draft testing in front of scouts. The cornerback is, however, planning to work out at Tennessee’s Pro Day.
While the promising corner could make a full recovery and prove to be the elite prospect he’s considered to be, the Cowboys can’t afford to roll the dice on him with the 12th-overall pick.
Dallas did something similar a year ago, selecting cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. in the third round. Revel was considered a first-round prospect before tearing his ACL in the fall of 2024.
While the Cowboys waited until the third round to take him, they haven’t gotten promising returns yet. Revel missed the first 10 weeks of his rookie season, and once he returned, it was clear that he was a rookie still working his way back from a significant knee injury.
Like McCoy, Revel could eventually develop into an elite corner in the league, but Dallas would undoubtedly receive pushback for using such a high pick on a player with a concerning health situation.
McCoy’s medical evaluation will be big for his draft stock, and teams will also need to see him on the field before the draft. If the Cowboys are hell-bent on taking a corner in Round 1, chances are they have a similar grade on LSU's Mansoor Delane.