With all of the trade-downs that the Buffalo Bills pulled off during the NFL Draft, one of their setups that they had was kicking off the 4th round on Day 3. At that point, the Bills had already drafted edge rusher T.J. Parker and cornerback Davison Igbinosun in the second round.
When the draft officially opened up on Day 3, it didn’t take the Bills long to make yet another trade down. They only went down one spot, giving No. 101 to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for No. 102 and a 2027 7th-round pick. The Bills would end up selecting offensive lineman Jude Bowry out of Boston College.
The Raiders used the 101st pick on a player that took a mighty big fall down the draft board in cornerback Jermod McCoy out of Tennessee. McCoy has first round talent and he would have easily been selected in the first round had it not been for injury concerns with his knee.
Bills had chance to draft mid-round steal in CB Jermod McCoy (but traded opportunity away)
Even though there is risk to drafting McCoy, the upside is way better because of his talent that he has. Getting him in the 4th round is worth the risk. Moe Moton from Bleacher Report listed McCoy as a rookie who could earn Pro Bowl, or even All-Pro honors in his rookie season and that would have Bills fans upset knowing that Buffalo could have taken him, despite them drafting Igbinosun in the second round.
"Before the injury, McCoy had shown ball-hawking tendencies, logging 16 pass breakups and six interceptions between 2023 and 2024 at Oregon State and Tennessee. McCoy told reporters that he "feels good," but is open to another procedure if the Raiders recommend it for his longevity." said Moton.
The Bills already had Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston as their penciled-in starters, and then they traded up for Igbinosun. While it wouldn’t have made sense on the surface to draft McCoy, Brandon Beane did talk about how he felt that the cornerback position was the Bills’ “most pressing need” per Matthew Bove.
The fact that this was said, and yet the Bills decided to take a chance on McCoy is very interesting. I get the injury risk that McCoy has, but his potential to be an impactful player is much higher.
Not only would the Bills have completely filled out their cornerback room for the future, but they would have the chance to add a clear cut Round 1 talent in McCoy. If he does indeed make a huge impact for the Raiders right away, all that Bills fans will be able to do is be angry knowing the fact that Buffalo could have drafted him in the 4th round.
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