Former Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood saw his stock begin to rise during post-season breakdowns from analysts and scouts. Then, after a strong showing at the Senior Bowl event last month in Alabama, he continued to climb up the ranks. By the time the NFL Combine came around this week in Indianapolis, he was widely regarded as the third-best cornerback in the class behind LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy.
But while Hood may be the consensus third-best corner in the class, the question now is whether he lands as a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft this spring. Some experts have him slotted in their Top 32 picks, while others have him on the outside looking in. One analyst from ESPN even had him and McCoy going to the Los Angeles Rams as first-round picks last month.
ESPN’s Matt Miller believes that Hood’s NFL Combine performance could vault him up to a potential Top 20 pick in the draft this spring.
“Hood entered the combine building off a strong Senior Bowl week,” Miller writes. “He has first-round measurables and added first-round numbers in the 40 (4.44 seconds), vertical jump (40½ inches) and broad jump (10-foot-5). Hood is a press-man coverage cornerback at 6 feet and 193 pounds with the broad shoulders to stack up receivers at the line of scrimmage. He is in the mix to be the third cornerback off the board and could land as a top-20 selection.”
Some of Hood’s best work of the day came during the gauntlet drill, which is an activity that sees a player dash across the field at full speed while catching a number of footballs that are thrown their way. The drill focuses on balance, speed, catching ability, and acceleration.
That Colton Hood gauntlet was sheesh.
First round CB all day long. pic.twitter.com/w8MydsPuZ5
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) February 27, 2026
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Don’t tell Hood that he’s the third-best at his position, though. He’s got the confidence and belief that he’s the leader of the pack.
“I think I’m the best corner in this class, honestly,” Hood said during the NFL Combine media availability on Thursday. “There’s a lot of great players – Jermod, my teammate, Mansoor (Delane), all the guys, they’re great players. I honestly think I’m the best corner in the draft and I haven’t even played my best football yet.”
With the NFL Combine’s final events coming on Sunday, we should start to see a flood of mock drafts coming out starting Sunday night, Monday morning, and into the rest of the week. It’ll be extremely interesting to see which NFL analysts and draft experts move Hood around in their projections, and how often he lands as a projected first-round pick.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for all the latest NFL Draft and NFL Combine news and notes.
