Tennessee’s pro day is officially in the books, and the Vols' two standout cornerbacks, Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood, both put on a show. Each ran a sub-4.4 in the 40-yard dash, putting themselves in a great position to hear their names called in the first round of the NFL Draft later this month.
McCoy is basically a lock now to be a first-round selection, but with all 32 NFL teams in attendance, Colton Hood may have just convinced the league he's also capable of a first-round pick with his performance.
After the pro day, Josh Heupel met with the media, and he had a clear message on how proud he was of McCoy and Hood.
When Heupel was asked about Jermod McCoy, he had nothing but recognition for the star cornerback. Heupel said:
“Looked like Jermod out there today. From his 40 to the vertical jump did a great job testing, which we all anticipated. Great to see him back at 100%. Dealing with the adversity of last year and everything that he had to do to get back, just really proud of how he handled that process and ultimately how he performed today and set himself up to have a great draft day.”
Heupel was also asked about Colton Hood and the impact he had on the Tennessee program. Heupel was sure to give him plenty of credit:
“We appreciate Colton being a part of this team and this program, too. (He’s) an athlete that does it the right way. Coming in in May, learning what we’re doing, learning what it means to be at all on a day-to-day basis and also how he impacted the guys around him." He also said, "He’s a smart, tough, relentless competitor that cares about the people around him. You look at his performance today, at the Combine, he’s setting himself up to have a great career.”
Josh Heupel gave Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood very high praise
Heupel's message to McCoy and Hood was amazing. It's too bad we never got to see the two stud cornerbacks play with each other last season. Either way, its grweta to sewe McCoy break throught he adversity and solidy himslef as a top pick in thias draft. On the other hand, I love the fact that Hood not only was a strong player himself, but also helped the guys around him.
This gets me excited for the future of Tennesse football, as Heupel can identify high-character young men. Plus, I also cannot wait to see where McCoy and Hood end up in the draft. The Future is bright in Knoxville, and the NFL pipeline continues.