Former Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood officially has his first number in the NFL. According to a post from the Giants on Friday, Hood is slated to wear No. 12 during New York’s rookie minicamp. This number is subject to change before the start of the regular season, though.
Hood wore No. 1 as a senior at Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in high school. He then wore No. 24 during his freshman season with the Auburn Tigers, No. 3 during his redshirt-freshman season with the Colorado Buffaloes, and No. 8 during his redshirt sophomore season with the Tennessee Volunteers this past season.
Hood was one of seven players that the Giants acquired, alongside LB Arvell Reese, OT Francis Mauigoa, WR Malachi Fields, DT Bobby Jamison-Travis, OT J.C. Davis, and LB Jack Kelly. New York picked Hood with the 37th overall pick during the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Draft class rookie minicamp numbers ‼️
*Subject to change pic.twitter.com/pzNpYy5c0f
— New York Giants (@Giants) May 8, 2026
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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 originally began his career at Auburn in 2023 before transferring to Colorado for the 2024 season. After playing under NFL legend Deion Sanders for one season with the Buffaloes, Hood took his talents back to the SEC and wound up with the Volunteers. During his one season at Colorado, Hood racked up 24 total tackles, 20 solo tackles, and two interceptions.
The former Volunteer now heads to a franchise looking to continue building up a roster of young talent. Hood will help New York as a physical, sticky cornerback on the outside of the defensive formation.
Hood was one of five Tennessee players selected during the 2026 NFL Draft, and the third to get a rookie minicamp number. Jermod McCoy is slated to wear No. 28 with the Las Vegas Raiders, while Joshua Josephs will don No. 48 with the Washington Commanders. We’re still waiting to hear on numbers for Carolina wide receiver Chris Brazzell II and Detroit defensive lineman Tyre West.
As always, jersey numbers are subject to change during the offseason.
