Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood officially declared for the NFL Draft last month while opting out of the Music City Bowl. The next time we’ll see Hood on a football field is later this month after he accepted an invite to play in the Panini Senior Bowl.
Hood was not a senior and still had two years of collegiate eligibility remaining. He redshirted as a freshman at Auburn before transferring to Colorado for the 2024 season. After spending one season at Colorado, Hood transferred to Tennessee.
The Senior Bowl changed its conditions last year to allow any draft eligible player to compete. A significant week of the draft process in Mobile, Alabama, NFL general managers and scouts watch a week of practice and then a game to end the week.
Hood spent just one season at Tennessee but played a significant role. The Vols added him to their roster following spring practice once Jermod McCoy suffered the knee injury that eventually cost him his season.
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The 6-foot, 195-pound cornerback totaled 50 tackles, an interception and forced fumble during the 2025 season. Hood scored two touchdowns, returning a fumble for a touchdown against Syracuse and returning an interception for a touchdown against Mississippi State.
Hood played 774 snaps during the 2025 season, second to only Ty Redmond on Tennessee’s roster. He earned a 79.2 PFF grade. Opponents targeted Hood 53 times during his redshirt sophomore season, completing 28 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown.
Hood projects as a late first round or early second round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. ESPN’s latest mock draft projected the Seattle Seahawks to select Hood with the 32nd pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The 2026 Panini Senior Bowl is on Jan. 31, 2026. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. ET with the NFL Network broadcasting the game.
