Colton Hood shoots up NFL Draft boards as opposing receivers fuel his rise

Now that the NFL season is pretty much over, franchises are gearing up to find out what prospects truly are worthy of a top-32 pick. Mock Drafts are a good tool to see who's falling and who's rising, but as every football fan knows, on Draft day, it never works out how Todd McShay or Mel Kiper Jr. predict.

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This NFL Draft season, one name that has been constantly thrown around as a riser is Tennessee Vol cornerback Colton Hood. The 6-foot-tall, 195-pound corner seems to be working his way firmly into the first round after a stellar Senior Bowl performance in Mobile, Alabama, last week. The NFL Combine will be huge for Hood, if he can run a good 40-time he should no doubt be a first rounder.

What stands out the most is the high praise Colton Hood received from The Athletic’s NFL Draft expert, Dane Brugler. He said, "Who’s the toughest guy you’ve gone against this year? When I talked to receivers, I had more tell me, Colton Hood, than any other player."

Colton Hood was lockdown for Tennessee

What stands out most is that opposing players noticed how good Hood was for the Vols last year. He has garnered the respect of his peers, and it is paying dividends as he is rising on NFL big boards. He had had 50 tackles, eight passes defended, an interception, and a forced fumble in 2025.

Another big takeaway is that Hood is now getting the respect he deserves from NFL scouts and draft experts. Vols fans have known he was a beast all along, but it’s nice to finally see scouts and the media giving Hood the respect he deserves. He stepped up in a big way for Tennessee last season when Jerod McCoy missed the year with an ACL tear. On top of that, Brugler mentioned McCoy as one of his top five cornerbacks, too.

Don't be shocked if Hood continues to rise up draft boards as the days inch closer and closer to April's draft.