Despite being projected as a first-round pick in a few early NFL Mock Drafts, Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy watched as pick after pick was selected and his name had yet to be called.
His seemingly ever-present knee injury was the topic of conversation on the second night of the 2026 NFL Draft, and he quickly went from a first or second-round lock to praying that he would hear his name in the third round.
Meanwhile, Volunteer fans were growing anxious to simply hear any Tennessee player's name called.
Not all hope was lost as McCoy wasn't the only Vol who had been projected as a first or second-round pick during the lead-up to the Draft: Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II had early hopes of hearing his name called during the first two nights.
Chris Brazzell II might be Tennessee's highest NFL Draft pick
ESPN's Mel Kiper even included Brazzell as a second-round pick in his final NFL Mock Draft, sending him to the New England Patriots as his projected 63rd overall pick.
Brazzell, who played two years for Tennessee, earned 1,017 receiving yards for nine touchdowns during the 2025 season but didn't receive a lot of Draft hype, especially as elite wideouts like Ohio State's Carnell Tate took up the spotlight.
However, Pro Football Sports Network's Jacob Infante described him as a "6-foot-5 serious threat with a freakish combination of size and speed" and also projected him to become a second-round pick in this year's Draft.
The heartbreak was made even worse as Kiper expressed that McCoy easily would have been a top-10 or top-15 pick if he had been perfectly healthy.
Also read: Adam Schefter delivers painful Jermod McCoy truth on why he's falling in the NFL Draft
Nearly halfway through the second round, zero Volunteers had heard their names called, and both Brazzell and McCoy were undoubtedly growing more and more anxious for their time to come.
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