Draft 2026: CB - D'Angelo Ponds, Jermod McCoy, Brandon Cisse
Could the Lions take a CB as early as the 2nd round?
The Lions have significant CB health concerns heading into 2026 with Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw recovering from season-ending shoulder surgeries, and DJ Reed missing multiple weeks last year with a hamstring.
For the full NFL 2026 draft prospect medical analysis page, click here.
While the 1st round is probably too high for the Lions to go CB, the 2nd round and later are legitimate possibilities. Here are 3 young CB’s who could be available in that range.
Medical concern level ranges from 0 (no concern) to 5 (might be worth the risk if the reward is high) to 10 (take him off your board, Brad).
(Ages in parentheses are at start of 2026 season and are factored into the concern level. Injury info and ages based on available public information and are unverified - subject to update. Games played data courtesy of sports-reference.com.)
Quick summary of medical concern levels
D’Angelo Ponds, CB (uncertain age, 21?): ankle, lower body - 0/10 concern
Jermod McCoy, CB (21): ACL - 4/10 concern
Brandon Cisse, CB (21): forearm, wrist, knee, upper-body - 4/10 concern
D’Angelo Ponds, CB (uncertain age, 21?) - Indiana
Projected round 2-3. #83 on Jeff Risdon board Feb 19.
Concern level 0/10
2025: 15/16 games. Tweaked ankle prior to season. Missed Game 5 with lower-body injury.
2024: 13/13 games
2023: 13/13 games
Ponds appears to have a minimal injury history. While his age is unknown, he is likely very young, having played only 3 years of college. All this makes him one of the cleanest prospects in the draft.
His height/weight are on the smaller side as he was listed at 5’9”, 173lb at Indiana. While some teams may see this as a negative, I think it’s debatable whether a smaller player is actually at higher risk for injury in the NFL.
Ponds could be a plug-and-play replacement for Amik Robertson who is a free agent.
Jermod McCoy, CB (21) - Tennessee
Projected round 1-2. #13 on Daniel Jeremiah board Feb 23.
Concern level 4/10
2025: Missed entire season due to ACL suffered in January 2025 offseason.
2024: 13/13 games
2023: 12/13 games
McCoy’s ACL timeline raises some questions. A fairly typical ~11 month recovery (Alim McNeill’s ACL took just over 10 months) could have had McCoy returning to play in November or December of his final college season. An appearance for even just a couple games at the end of the season would have been very reassuring, but that didn’t happen.
It’s definitely possible that McCoy stayed off the field simply for precautionary reasons, but this will need to be investigated. Any setbacks or associated damage with the initial injury can delay an ACL recovery. For example, Malcolm Rodriguez last season had a delayed return from his ACL (almost 12 months) due to a follow-up knee surgery.
As with any ACL, there is the possibility of associated cartilage damage that can pose a long-term concern. The operating room report and MRI would clarify this.
Most ACL’s have a very reliable recovery though with minimal to no residuals. If McCoy does well in pre-draft testing, all concerns could be alleviated.
The good news with McCoy’s ACL timing is that he should be a full-go for his rookie season. His young age also helps lower his concern level.
While McCoy is viewed as an elite, 1st-round talent, the questions surrounding his ACL could cause him to slip a bit.
Brandon Cisse, CB (21) - South Carolina
Projected round 2. #37 on Daniel Jeremiah board Feb 23.
Concern level 4/10
2025: 12/12 games. Exited Game 2 with upper body injury. Knee injury Game 6. Exited Game 10 with undisclosed minor injury.
2024: 9/13 games. Played with left forearm cast early in season. Missed 3 games with wrist. Exited regular season finale with possible upper-body injury and missed bowl game.
2023: 13/13 games
Cisse has a long list of various injuries in his final 2 seasons that medical will need to sort out. Is he injury-prone or just unlucky? Always a difficult question to answer.
Fortunately, none of his injuries appear to be of a major variety, and he is very young.
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