The 2026 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Colton Hood NFL Draft Profile.
Position: Cornerback
School: Tennessee
Size: 6-foot, 193 Pounds
Class: Redshirt Sophomore
2025 stats: 50 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 2 touchdowns, 8 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble
Hood was a three-star recruit who signed with Auburn out of Georgia. He played sparingly as a freshman and redshirted before transferring to Colorado for the 2024 season. In 2024, Hood totaled 24 total tackles, two interceptions and six passes defended. His play helped the Buffaloes win nine games. For the 2025 season, Hood transferred to Tennessee. He tallied 50 tackles, one interception and eight passes defended. Hood led the Volunteers to an eight-win season.
Following the season, Hood declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. He is currently projected to be a first or second-round pick.
Hood is a good athlete for the position in a few different ways. He has good acceleration at the start of plays and is able to turn that into good long speed. He ran a good 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine and it shows up on tape, as he can match receivers vertically. Hood has good body control and leaping ability as well.
His best coverage is man-to-man, specifically when he presses. He can jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and his physicality bothers a lot of receivers. While his hips are a bit tight, he can mirror receivers pretty well. His athleticism allows him to run with receivers and he competes hard to stay with them.
He has an aggressive playstyle that shows up in all facets of his game. Hood uses his physicality in his press coverage to bump receivers off their route. He is physical through the play, but also when the ball is coming his way. His physicality makes it tough for receivers to catch the ball, as he can attack the catchpoint aggressively. He plays hard even in run support, as he flies to the ball and isn’t afraid to make a tackle.
While his man-to-man coverage is solid, his hips can sometimes limit his transitions. Quick and shifty route-runners can sometimes elude his press coverage. That same issue can extend to other areas of the route, but he is athletic and physical enough to cover a lot of it up.
His physicality is great, but it can come back to hurt him a bit at times. Hood keeps his hands on the receivers too much and sometimes grabs them. At the next level, Hood will need to trust his technique; he could pick up plenty of penalties and hurt his team in the process.
He is solid in zone coverage too, but there are some things he can clean up to improve. Hood can have better eye balance between receivers and the quarterback to make sure he is in the right position. If he can do that and be a bit more disciplined, his versatility can be a real big asset for an NFL team.
Projected Draft Range: First Round Pick-Second Round Pick
Draft Grade: Second Round Grade
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