ESPN NFL Draft expert Matt Miller has set up shop in Mobile, AL, this week as he covers the Panini Senior Bowl week of events. The prospects in attendance will go through practices and workouts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, before competing in the Senior Bowl from Hancock Whitney Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It’s safe to say that Miller will have a close watch on former Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood at the event this week.
“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).”
After spending just one season at Tennessee, Hood has been vaulting up NFL mock drafts over the last month or so. It wasn’t all that common to see him land first-round projections when mock drafts first started appearing in December, but it now seems like each one has his name on it somewhere. Hood’s latest projection was as high as No. 12 overall to the Dallas Cowboys, according to NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah.
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.
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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.
The six-foot cornerback quickly turned into one of the SEC’s best corners as he routinely matched up against some of the best pass-catching threats in the conference. Hood tallied 50 tackles, one interception, and a forced fumble during the 2025 season. He also recorded two interceptions, with a scoop-and-score in the opener against Syracuse and a pick-six in a road win at Mississippi State.
A strong performance at the Senior Bowl this week in Mobile could continue Hood’s rise up the draft boards. As Miller mentions, it’s not the strongest class in the world. LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy are widely viewed as the two best cornerbacks in the class, but there’s an opportunity for someone to rise up behind them. Plus, Mansoor is reportedly a bit undersized and McCoy is coming off an injury that saw him out for the entire 2025 season.
As experts continue to analyze the class at pre-draft workouts and combines, there’s a growing likelihood that Tennessee could have two cornerbacks drafted in the first round with McCoy and Hood. Perhaps both are even Top 20 picks. The Dallas Cowboys sit at No. 20 in the draft this year and have been tagged in the cornerback market for quite some time now. If Mansoor and McCoy both go before the Cowboys’ second pick at No. 20, there’s a chance that Hood could wind up there.
Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood is one of three former Vols working out at the Senior Bowl in Mobile this week. The other two are defensive lineman Bryson Eason and defensive back Jalen McMurray. The Senior Bowl will be played on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Senior Bowl coverage.
