The Miami Dolphins trading away star cornerback Jalen Ramsey on Monday leaves a big hole at the position, but the team could fill the void in the next year as ESPN’s Matt Miller sees it.
Miami traded Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, and that leaves the Dolphins with just Kader Kohou, Storm Duck, and Jason Marshall Jr. as the team’s top corners. Miller projects the Dolphins resolve that issue in the 2026 draft with the selection of Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy with the No. 15 pick. The selection spot is based on ESPN’s Football Power Index per Miller.
“There are some questions about McCoy’s status to start the season after he tore an ACL in January during offseason training, but there’s no question about his tape,” Miller wrote on Monday. “The 6-foot, 193-pound corner has six career interceptions and emerged as a true No. 1 CB last season.”
“He has the length, height and speed to run with NFL-caliber wideouts and the ball skills to flip the field,” Miller added. “He’s my CB1 as long as he recovers and stays healthy. The Dolphins need a capable outside cornerback — especially after trading Jalen Ramsey to the Steelers on Monday.”
While that won’t resolve the Dolphins’ issues on the outside for 2025 from a personnel standpoint, Miami can build the back end for the future with McCoy in 2026 and beyond.
Jermod McCoy Emerged as a Top Corner After Transfer
McCoy is a Tyler, Texas native who started his college career with Oregon State where he had two picks in 202e before he transferred to Tennessee in 2024.
The 6-foot-1, 193-pound corner picked off four passes, posted 13 pass deflections, and recorded 44 tackles amid All-SEC honors in 2024. Pro Football Focus gave him an 89.6 coverage grade, and he’s considered one of the top corners in the nation.
Miller isn’t alone in projecting McCoy as a prime target for the Dolphins. PFF recommended the move as well, and that was well before Ramsey headed to Pittsburgh.
“His 89.6 PFF coverage grade in 2024 ranks second among returning Power Four cornerbacks, while his four interceptions are tied for second,” PFF’s Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman wrote in April. “McCoy has great ball skills with phenomenal movement ability, scoring a near-perfect 99.9 in PFF’s Game Athleticism Score metric. He, unfortunately, suffered a torn ACL in January, so it’s unknown if he’ll be able to play in 2025.”
What the Dolphins Have For Now
Miami has talent to work with among corners this year, but the experience level is the biggest question mark.
Kohou had the strongest 2024 season among returning corners amid two interceptions, a forced fumble, eight pass deflections, and 45 tackles. He had more tackles in previous seasons with 72 and 63 respectively, and Kouhou had 10 pass deflections in each of his first two seasons.
Duck had 24 tackles and four pass deflections as a rookie in 14 games last season. Marshall, meanwhile, enters his rookie year as a recent fifth-round pick from Florida where he had 68 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, 25 pass deflections, and a forced fumble in four seasons.
Second-string corners include Cam Smith, Ethan Bonner, and Artie Burns. Smith has played 133 defensive snaps in 21 career games, and he only had 16 tackles thus far. Bonner has played in just seven games over two seasons, and he has two tackles and a pass deflection.
Burns has veteran experience from his time with the Steelers, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks. However, he hasn’t had more than 23 tackles in a season since 2017, and Burns’ last interception was also that year.
Miami will either need to build around an inexperienced core without Ramsey or make a move to bolster the cornerback position for 2025.
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