With the clock winding down for the 2026 NFL Draft, front offices are endlessly working to find perfect fits for their teams. Cleveland is finally putting a name to add to their offensive line, while many draftees are getting the attention they deserve. But on the flip side, more and more news is beginning to leak out.

Medicals for Jermod McCoy get a red flag

After the revelation of a car accident involving Rueben Bain Jr., front offices are faced with a troubling medical report that could tank a top cornerback’s draft prospects, as sources told EssentiallySports.

Over the past two days, multiple sources have told me that several teams have red-flagged the combine medicals of Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy, who did not play last season after sustaining a knee injury in January of 2025. The information received additional confirmation after others were asked.

I’m told that red flags were raised after teams deemed McCoy’s knee to be a degenerative condition. But, of course, medical opinions differ team by team since there is no central body to govern a physical.

Some could fail McCoy based on his medicals, which means they would take him off their board completely, while others could flag him, meaning he would be assessed a penalty of a half-round to a full round on his grade.

Some teams may look at his medicals and be okay with McCoy’s knee. We really won’t know until draft weekend.

McCoy profiles as a classic boom-or-bust option in the first round. In 2024, he stood out as one of the nation’s top cornerbacks, tallying nine pass breakups and four interceptions. But he didn’t take the field last season due to a knee injury, which clouds the evaluation. The tools of a true shutdown corner are there, yet teams will have to weigh concerns about his durability and relatively limited starting resume.

“AB wants an O-lineman”

Last week, I reported that the Cleveland Browns would like to trade out of the sixth slot and move down a few positions in Round 1. There’s talk of the Cowboys wanting to trade up to that spot if linebacker Sonny Styles slides past the Giants, who presently own the fifth pick. The question the Browns need to answer is how far down can they trade and still get the player they want?

I’ve reported multiple times that the team believes they can slide Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano over to the left tackle spot to fill a hole at that position. As someone told me Monday evening, “AB wants o-line early and has been telling people since last season”; AB refers to Browns general manager Andrew Berry.

There’s no denying that even with a quarterback dilemma, the Browns first need to improve their offensive line.

These same sources tell me that the Browns will not trade Myles Garrett, which others have confirmed. As told to me, “The team is not going to trade a generational talent they have locked up for at least three more years.”

Two LBs from Texas getting NFL love

Kaleb Elarms-Orr of TCU and Trey Moore from Texas are receiving a lot of positive chatter in the scouting community and could end up being selected higher in the draft than most presently predict.

Elarms-Orr is a pure off-ball linebacker whose game and draft stock have taken off over the past nine months. Entering the season graded anywhere from the late rounds to the middle of Day 3, Elarms-Orr turned in a terrific senior campaign and then stood out in pre-draft scouting events such as the Senior Bowl and combine. He’s cemented himself as a Day 2 pick and could slide into the initial 60 picks.

The Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, and Minnesota Vikings are very high on Elarms-Orr and have interviewed him through different mediums since the Senior Bowl.

He has got the range and can burst to cover the entire field, flying sideline to sideline with ease. But that athleticism doesn’t always translate to football IQ. He often has trouble diagnosing blocking schemes and can lose sight of how plays are unfolding.

Moving further, Moore is an interesting story. An exceptional off-ball linebacker early in his college career at UTSA, Texas used him primarily as an edge rusher. Teams view him as an Arvell Reese-type of linebacker, a defender who can be used in space but also wreak havoc upfield on the blitz.

During the combine, Moore timed 4.56 seconds in the 40 and hit 38.5 inches in the vertical jump after measuring 6-foot-1.5 and 243 pounds. Presently graded as a fourth-round pick, there is a belief that Moore could slide into the back end of the third round.

He doesn’t bring ideal size or length for an NFL edge, but what he lacks physically, he makes up for with instincts and a polished pass-rush toolkit. In smaller doses, Moore also showed some ability as an off-ball linebacker, though there are still concerns about his closing speed and how well he’ll hold up in coverage at the professional level.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have shown a lot of interest in Moore, as have the New England Patriots.