Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood will be one of the 16 players who are set to attend the NFL Draft event next week in Pittsburgh, PA. The former Volunteer is one of five SEC players who accepted their invitation, alongside LSU CB Mansoor Delane, Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk, Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor, and Alabama QB Ty Simpson.
The 2026 NFL Draft will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on April 23. The first round will commence on Thursday night, the second and third rounds will take place on Friday night, and the final four rounds will occur on Saturday afternoon.
Hood is hoping to hear his name called in the first 32 picks on Thursday. If he is not taken in the first round, though, it likely won’t take long for him to be selected on Friday night.
Hood transferred into Tennessee ahead of the 2025 season. After injuries sidelined both Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III for the entire season, Hood was thrust into Tennessee’s top cornerback role in his first season with the Vols. He racked up 50 total tackles, 34 solo tackles, one pick-six, and a scoop-and-score touchdown.
While Hood had a solid season with the Vols, his draft stock really began to rise during the offseason. He had great showings at the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine, and the Tennessee Pro Day over the last two months. Hood has also put himself in a good light with strong media rounds over the last week, doing interviews with Good Morning FB and Nightcap.
Hood has been widely projected as a fringe player for this year’s draft, with projections in the late first round and early second round. Ultimately, his spot has been dependent on the analyst’s picks, but he has made a strong case for being the third-best cornerback in the draft behind LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee teammate Jermod McCoy.
In ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr.’s final mock draft this week, he tagged Hood to go 29th overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. Other projections have seen Hood go as high as No. 20 to the Dallas Cowboys and at No. 32 to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. There is a world where Hood falls to the second round, but it’s likely that he would go within the first few picks if that does happen.
McCoy, on the other hand, is Tennessee’s other first-round projection. While McCoy has consistently been higher on mock draft boards, he will not be one of the 16 players to attend the NFL Draft in person next week.
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The full list of accepted invitations is as follows:
- Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey
- Miami EDGE Rueben Bain Jr.
- LSU CB Mansoor Delane
- Ohio State S Caleb Downs
- Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk
- Tennessee CB Colton Hood
- Southern Cal WR Makai Lemon
- Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love
- Miami OL Francis Mauigoa
- Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald
- Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor
- Ohio State LB Arvell Reese
- Alabama QB Ty Simpson
- Ohio State LB Sonny Styles
- Ohio State WR Carnell Tate
- Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for full Tennessee NFL Draft coverage.
