Colton Hood CB Tennessee |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #8 ROLE: Outside Zone CB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.44 seconds (72%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #8 | |
| ROLE: Outside Zone CB | |
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.44 seconds (72%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
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| Overall Rating: | 87.0 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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73% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 66.0 | |
| Tackling: |
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81% |
| Run Defense: |
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68% |
| Coverage: |
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84% |
| Zone: |
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81% |
| Man/Press: |
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79% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
1st - Mid
Overall Rank:
#23
Position rank:
#5 (DB)
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| College Games: 29 College Snaps: 1150 | ||
ESPN RATING: 77/100
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247 RATING: 89/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.7 (93%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kamari Lassiter - Georgia |
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93% |
| Trey Amos - Ole Miss |
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89% |
| Quinyon Mitchell - Toledo |
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88% |
Drafted: ROUND: 2 - Pick Number: 37 (NYG)
Draft Profile: Bio
Colton Hood's uncle Roderick spent eight seasons as a defensive back in the NFL after playing at Auburn, and the younger Hood followed that same path to the football field at Eagles Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia. He was the definition of a do-everything athlete, lining up at cornerback, wide receiver, quarterback, and running back while also earning all-state honors in baseball and running on a state-qualifying 4x100 relay team. He racked up over 1,100 yards of total offense and 13 touchdowns on one side of the ball, then flipped around and posted 40 tackles and three interceptions on the other. Two punt return touchdowns and a kickoff return score rounded out a senior year that earned him Region 5-2A Athlete of the Year. The recruiting services pegged him as a three-star prospect, with On3 ranking him the No. 20 cornerback nationally and 247Sports slotting him at No. 48 at the position.Hood followed his uncle's footsteps to Auburn for his true freshman year in 2023, appearing in four games before taking a redshirt. The following offseason, he made the first of two transfers that would define his college trajectory, landing at Colorado to join Deion Sanders' secondary. Playing behind Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Hood carved out meaningful reps in a 13-game rotation and finished 2024 with 24 tackles, six pass breakups, and two interceptions. The highlight came against Arizona, when Hood drew the assignment on future top draft pick Tetairoa McMillan and held him to just five catches for 38 yards while snagging an interception and returning it 46 yards. His other pick, a 59-yard return against Kansas State after Hunter left with an injury, showed the kind of opportunistic playmaking that would become his calling card.
The final stop was Rocky Top. Hood committed to Tennessee in May 2025 and immediately stepped into the starting lineup opposite Jermod McCoy's spot, with McCoy sidelined by an ACL injury. What followed was the best season of his career by a wide margin: 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, a pick-six at Mississippi State, and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown against Syracuse in the opener that earned him SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week. He became the first SEC player to return both an interception and a fumble for touchdowns in the same season since 2019. By season's end, Hood had collected All-SEC Second Team honors from the Associated Press and Third Team from the coaches, landed on the Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist list, and established himself as one of the most talked-about cornerback prospects at the Senior Bowl, where receivers reportedly named him the toughest matchup they faced all year.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Fluid hips and quick feet in his backpedal allow him to mirror receivers through their breaks without losing a half-step, especially effective on comebacks and curls where his deceleration is seamless.
- Press-man technique at the line is where he lives. Gets his hands on you early with a forceful two-hand jam that disrupts timing and keeps wideouts from running clean stems off the line.
- Ball production speaks for itself: three career interceptions, 14 pass breakups, and two forced fumbles across just 29 games, with a knack for showing up at the catch point when it matters most.
- 4.4 speed gives him a legitimate recovery gear that allows him to close windows even when he's initially beaten off the snap, and quarterbacks who test him deep pay for it.
- Diagnostic ability at the snap is advanced for a one-year starter. Reads receiver releases and formation cues quickly, rarely biting on double moves or hesitation fakes at the stem.
- Competitive fire burns hot in contested catch situations. Fights through the whistle and refuses to concede positioning, which showed up repeatedly during his Senior Bowl reps against top wideouts.
- Versatility in coverage schemes translates well. Looked comfortable sitting in Cover 2 flats, carrying vertical routes in quarters, and playing isolated man on the boundary throughout his Tennessee tape.
- Closing burst downhill on underneath routes is a real weapon. Drives on the throw with conviction and arrives with enough force to deter receivers from extending over the middle.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Run support effort is inconsistent and position-dependent. Willingness to set the edge and take on blocks varies from game to game, and he can disappear against the run when not directly targeted.
- Tackling mechanics break down in space far too often. Tends to lunge at legs and lead with his shoulder rather than wrapping through contact, resulting in four missed tackles on the stat sheet and more on film.
- Physicality in routes invites laundry. Four penalties in 2025 with the Vols, and his aggressive hand usage past five yards will draw even more flags at the next level where officials have a shorter leash.
- Tracking the ball and receivers downfield beyond the sticks is a clear developmental area. His play at the line is night-and-day better than his ability to locate and play the ball on deep routes when trailing.
- Only one full year as a starter across three college programs leaves real questions about his experience level and ability to handle a full 17-game NFL workload against elite competition week after week.
Scouting Report: Summary
Hood's best football is played within ten yards of the line, where his press technique, jam strength, and diagnostic ability combine to make him a nightmare for receivers trying to get into their routes clean. The coverage grades back it up: his man-to-man work graded out at an excellent level, and his overall coverage marks ranked among the best in the SEC. That combination of physical tools and coverage instincts is not something you can teach.The fit that makes the most sense is a defense that plays a heavy dose of man coverage on the outside but also asks its corners to sit in Cover 2 flats and read the quarterback's eyes. Hood showed real comfort carrying receivers to zones and triggering on underneath throws during his time in Tennessee's scheme, and his closing speed makes him dangerous as a flat defender who can rally and take away the short stuff. Zone-heavy quarters concepts where he can read and react also suit his skill set, because his route recognition and break-on-the-ball ability are ahead of schedule for a player with his limited starting experience. The return ability, dating back to his high school days, adds a dimension that gets him on the field from Day 1 even if the defensive snaps need to be earned.
Here's the deal with Hood. The tools are legitimate. The speed is legitimate. The ball skills and competitive streak are legitimate. The concerns are legitimate too: the limited starting experience, the inconsistent tackling, the penalties, the struggles tracking the ball on deep throws. But this is a player who held Tetairoa McMillan to 38 yards, who had receivers at the Senior Bowl calling him the toughest cover they faced all year, and who stepped into a starting role at an SEC program and immediately performed at a high level. He needs a defensive backs coach who will clean up the tackling technique and teach him to trust his speed instead of grabbing when he gets beat. With the right development, there's a legitimate long-term starter at outside corner here. Without it, he's still a quality rotational piece who can contribute in sub-packages and on special teams. The ceiling is worth betting on.
Colton Hood percentiles vs other Cornerbacks (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Colton Hood (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
31.2
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
6.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.