From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Tennessee wide receiver Bru McCoy.
NO. 5 BRU MCCOY/WR TENNESSEE – 6024, 209 POUNDS (SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Bru McCoy | 6024/209 | 10 | 32 1/8 | 6’6 1/2″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
THE GOOD
– Team captain at Tennessee
– Has terrific build for WR position
– Solid top-end speed
– Can make quick, crisp cuts on in-breaking routes
– Does a solid job working back when quarterback is scrambling
– Large catch radius, consistently brings down jump balls
– Good vertical
– Does a good job getting upfield quickly after the catch
– Has enough agility to make defenders miss
– Does well on underneath routes in short passing game
– Legitimate deep threat that can take the top off a defense
– Big frame and catch radius makes him an ideal red zone target
– Has shown improvement on hitch and comeback routes
THE BAD
– Struggles to cut cleanly on outside-breaking routes, rarely ran them at Tennessee, limited route tree overall
– Drifts towards end of routes when coming over the middle of the field
– Takes too long to slow down before his break when running comeback routes
– Lack of boundary awareness
– Occasional concentration drops, not a huge worry
– Doesn’t offer much as a blocker
– Has solid top-end speed, but it takes him a while to accelerate
– Sizeable injury history
– Not a lot of production in college
– Needs more strength against press coverage at line of scrimmage
– Will turn 25 before rookie season
BIO
– Born on June 22, 2000
– Hometown: Rolling Hills Estates, CA
– 24 years old
– Attended Mater Dei High School
– Earned undergraduate degree in communication studies
– 247 rated him 5-star prospect, No. 2 player in CA in 2019 in high school
– Played in six games at USC in 2020 with 236 receiving yards and two touchdowns
– Left USC after off-field incident, did not play in 2021 season, then transferred to Tennessee
– Played in 12 games in 2022, had 667 receiving yards and four touchdowns
– Started five games in 2023, had 217 receiving yards and one touchdown, before suffering gruesome, season-ending ankle injury
– Started all 12 games in 2024, had 472 receiving yards and two touchdowns
– 2025 Senior Bowl Invitee
– Had NIL deal set to donate one AED (Automated External Defibrillator) to community for every touchdown scored
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Bru McCoy isn’t the quickest or most agile receiver on the field. However, he still does enough things well to make himself a threat both deep down the field and in the short game. He’s particularly good on shorter routes. McCoy is most effective on in-breaking routes, and he’s good at picking up extra yards after the catch.
Here, McCoy is at the bottom of the screen on the line of scrimmage. He does a good job navigating around the defender and ends his curl route in a soft spot in the coverage. The really impressive work here comes after the catch. McCoy catches the ball at the 40 and ends up hitting the ground just past midfield, going through five defenders in the process.
McCoy isn’t especially quick, but he does have enough top-end speed to make himself a deep threat.
McCoy’s on the bottom of the screen here, and he’s just running a straight go-route down the sideline. He’s not especially quick off the snap, but you see his long speed take over and he eventually gets a step on the defender. When the ball is in the air, he has the wherewithal to fend off the defender with his arm without drawing a penalty. This is one aspect of the game where McCoy is at his best.
That was an example of McCoy beating his defender deep against soft coverage. He can do the same against defenders who try to press him, as well.
McCoy’s playing against man coverage at the bottom of the screen. The corner doesn’t press immediately off the line of scrimmage, but he does five yards into the route. McCoy shows good agility to sneak inside the defender, while using his hands to fend him off and ends up breaking open down the field. Unfortunately, the QB sees him too late and throws the ball way too far inside, leading to an interception. For McCoy, though, it’s a great rep.
One more impressive aspect of McCoy’s game is his awareness while his QB is scrambling.
McCoy starts at the top of the screen and starts to run what looks like a drag or curl across the middle. Once he makes his break, he sees the quarterback start to scramble. Again, McCoy shows impressive awareness. He realizes there isn’t a defender to his outside, so he cuts back toward the sideline. McCoy catches a good throw and manages to pick up a chunk of yards.
While he’s typically locked in, there are occasional concentration drops with McCoy.
McCoy didn’t find the end zone much in college, so he can’t afford to waste opportunities like these. He runs a solid route and the QB makes a good throw. Unfortunately, McCoy drops what should have been an easy touchdown. To be fair, he has good hands and can make all types of different catches. This isn’t a massive issue, just something he needs to correct in the NFL. It usually happens from what seems like a lapse in concentration.
Finally, Bru McCoy just doesn’t offer much as a blocker. To give him some credit, it’s not due to a lack of effort. He just doesn’t quite understand how to do it. He’s going to be 25 in his rookie year, so it’s somewhat troubling that he’s not able to do it yet. However, it can be improved in the NFL.
Here, McCoy is at the bottom of the screen. Knowing the run is coming his way, he should be aiming to get inside his defender to keep them towards the sideline. He runs straight at the defender instead, which allows his man to go inside towards the running back and make the tackle.
CONCLUSION
Bru McCoy does enough things well that he should be able to carve out some sort of role in the NFL. Due to his inability to run outside-based breaking as well as he does inside ones, he’ll have to play on the outside. There, his long speed and catch radius make him a valuable deep threat. Because of his ability to make defenders miss after the catch, he’s useful as a checkdown option as well.
Unfortunately, his route tree just isn’t expansive enough to be a team’s first option at the position. His traits make him an exciting prospect, but there are just too many limitations for him to be more than a WR3, or low-end WR2, at best. Teams who need receiving depth, especially on the outside, will target McCoy on Day 3.
Bru McCoy reminds me of Quincy Enunwa. Neither player has incredible speed, but they do have enough to beat you deep. Enunwa, like McCoy, was forced to be a perimeter receiver, as he wasn’t quick enough in and out of breaks. Both are situationally aware and take advantage of their bigger frames.
Projection: Mid-Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.6 – Fifth Round (Backup/Special Teamer)
Games Watched: Alabama (2024), Florida (2023), Florida (2022)
