Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood is competing with high expectations during Senior Bowl workouts this week in Mobile, AL, and the former Vol didn’t drop the ball during the first day of practice on Tuesday.
In a clip posted to social media, Hood locks down a former SMU wide receiver on the outside. Hood stays with him the entire way down the field on the go route, and doesn’t let the receiver even come close to catching the ball.
“Wrote in my notes when this happened… watch how patient Hood is at the snap,” ESPN draft expert Matt Miller posted to X. “He knows he can run with him so he doesn’t overreact to the initial movement of the WR. I love this. Let him waste steps and then use his skills to win down the field.”
Lockdown rep by Colton Hood pic.twitter.com/q6eD8X5OzL
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) January 27, 2026
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The 1-v-1 drill with a whole open field isn’t an easy task, but Hood made it look easy. Reporters say that it was Hood’s best rep of the day, but that he put together some other strong moments throughout the practice.
UT CB Colton Hood (#27) getting physical in 11v11s pic.twitter.com/5T0buYWzUa
— Zach Lyons (@TheZachLyons) January 27, 2026
Hood’s draft stock has been fairly nuclear over the last month. After ending the regular season as a fairly under-talked-about prospect, the Tennessee cornerback has been rising up the charts in the last few weeks. Hood is now a widely projected first-round pick, with one expert having him as high as No. 12 overall to the Dallas Cowboys, and was recently named the 16th best prospect in the class by NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah.
ESPN’s Matt Miller also tagged Hood as his top-ranked prospect out of the Senior Bowl competitors this week in Mobile.
“Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood — wearing No. 27 — is the top prospect on my board in attendance this year,” Miller posted to X on Tuesday afternoon. “He sits at No. 18 overall on my board. Definitely looks the part in person. Could be a big week for him in a CB class with question marks at the top (injury, size).”
Hood transferred to Tennessee last offseason and gave the Vols a much-needed experienced player at the cornerback position. He was supposed to play on the opposite side of returning starter Rickey Gibson III, but Gibson’s season-ending injury in the first game moved Hood to the top cornerback role on the Vols’ defense. He not only carried that title through the season, but he also flourished with it.
Opposing offenses often targeted true freshman cornerback Ty Redmond after Gibson’s injury, which was expected. But it was also because Colton Hood was on the other side of the field. According to PFF, opponents targeted Hood in passing plays 53 times during the season, completing just 28 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown.
One team that has been popping up fairly consistently for Hood’s services is the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones’ organization has the No. 12 and No. 20 picks in the draft and are desperately in need of a cornerback. Anything can happen, obviously, but Dallas has been tied to the cornerback market (and Hood) a fair amount in recent weeks.
Hood will continue Senior Bowl practices on Wednesday and Thursday before playing in the actual game on Saturday afternoon. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more NFL Draft and Senior Bowl coverage.
