Tennessee football cornerback Colton Hood is expected to be a first-round pick this week in the 2026 NFL Draft. Not only did his game film from the 2025 season propel him onto draft boards, but he’s aced the team interviews and brought up green flags for his work ethic and personality.
This was just Hood’s first season with the Vols, though. Prior to that, he was at Colorado for a year and spent his true freshman season at Auburn. While he didn’t get much of a chance to prove himself with the Tigers, he left a lasting impression on one of his teammates.
Eugene Asante, a linebacker and team captain during that 2023 season, remembered Hood proving himself as the lone defensive back going up against a handful of wide receivers. He shared the memory as a way to vouch for Hood in the draft on his X account.
“Before the NFL Draft starts on Thursday, I want to speak on a prospect Colton Hood out of Tennessee,” Asante wrote. “Colton Hood was a young CB at Auburn when I was there. I was a team captain ready to try to lead a team thru the gauntlet of the SEC. It was an off-day and I remember the WRs and DBs had a 1v1s at the facility that day. I showed up to see the competition and get coverage work. I kid you not, Colton Hood was the only DB out there, and he is going every single rep against these 7-8 Wide Receivers. It got to the point where he did so many reps he had to take a 5 min break and got up and finished the session. I remember running upstairs to our DC and saying that’s the guy we need on the field. And it’s no coincidence he blossomed into what he became at Tennessee.”
— Eugene Asante (@AsanteAssassin) April 20, 2026
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Hood finished this year with 50 tackles, eight passes deflected, a forced fumble, an interception and two touchdowns. He was named to the 2025 All-SEC Second Team by the AP for his year.
Though it was just one season, Hood made sure to express how thankful he was to spend a year on Rocky Top after his Pro Day showing last month.
“It’s meant a lot,” Hood said. “I don’t think people understand how much Rocky Top means to me. Just the love from the fans, everything, in totality, all the people, just a great place, an amazing place. I’d say to any recruit out there, you give your all for Rocky Top, they’re going to love you back. Definitely just overwhelmed with emotions and how this place helped me and how I want to help this place.”
Hood is widely projected as a first-round pick, though the positioning is uncertain. Mock drafts typically have him anywhere between pick 15 and 32.
