Tennessee football’s first pick off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft was cornerback Colton Hood to the New York Giants. The franchise selected him in the second round with the 37th overall pick.
How does Hood fit in with the Giants, though? ESPN projects Hood to be the backup corner on the left side. This places him behind Paulson Adebo, a third-round pick by the Saints in 2021. He joined the Giants this past season, where he posted a PFF grade of 58.4.
On the other side, ESPN has Greg Newsome II starting at corner. A first-rounder in 2021, he enters his first year with New York after starting his career with the Browns and ending last year with the Jaguars. He posted a 54.3 PFF grade this past season. His backup is Deonte Banks, a first-round pick in the 2023 draft.
This means that Hood will be in the mix to play with some other younger pieces. He’ll have plenty of chances during the preseason and could certainly find himself in a usual rotation during his rookie year.
What a feeling 🙌 pic.twitter.com/84RNc1NP9t
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 25, 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.”
