Colton Hood, a cornerback from Tennessee, was selected by the New York Giants as the 37th pick in the 2026 NFL draft. He has been training since childhood to achieve his dream of becoming an NFL player.
Key points
Colton Hood was drafted by the New York Giants.
He was selected as the 37th pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Hood trained since childhood to become an NFL player.
He faced challenges like running hills and intense workouts.
Mentioned in this story
Pittsburgh
Colton HoodNew York GiantsTennessee2026 NFL draft
'Football guy' Colton Hood realizing his childhood dream with New York Giants
New York Giants second-round pick Colton Hood is ready to take on the world. He's always aimed high, and all of his life, he has had one great desire -- to become an NFL player.
The Tennessee cornerback, selected by the Giants with the 37th pick in this 2026 NFL draft on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, was in the team's facility on Saturday for his introductory press conference. He told reporters that he has trained for this moment since he was a young boy.
"Probably running hills," Hood said when asked what the hardest thing he did as a kid. "That was pretty hard. My dad, since I was like nine years old, used to make us get up at 6:00 in the morning and go run hills. Also, he made us run like 20-something 200s on the track. That was pretty hard. With steel-toed boots, so that was pretty hard."
Dallas Cowboys (home, away)
Washington Commanders (home, away)
Q&A
Who is Colton Hood and what team did he get drafted by?
Colton Hood is a cornerback from Tennessee who was drafted by the New York Giants as the 37th pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
What challenges did Colton Hood face during his training as a child?
Colton Hood faced challenges such as running hills and completing intense track workouts, including 20 200-meter sprints in steel-toed boots.
When was Colton Hood drafted into the NFL?
Colton Hood was drafted into the NFL on Thursday night during the 2026 NFL draft.
What did Colton Hood say about his childhood training?
Colton Hood mentioned that he trained hard since he was a young boy, including running hills and track workouts set by his father.
Related Articles
TennisĀ·Recap
Mutua Madrid Open misery: Coco Gauff is latest to get sick
Illness strikes again at the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open, affecting Coco Gauff and others.
Yahoo SportsĀ·Ā·1 min read
NHLĀ·Preview
Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings Game 4: Looking for a Sweep, Lines, Notes & How To Watch
Avalanche aim for sweep against Kings in Game 4 today at 2:50 p.m. MT!
Yahoo SportsĀ·Ā·1 min read
NFL
A pick-by-pick analysis of where each of 8 āswaggyā Seahawks draft choices fit
Seahawks double their draft picks with trades, select Beau Stephens
Yahoo SportsĀ·Ā·1 min read
NBAĀ·Recap
Nikola JokiÄ boils over after McDanielsās mocking layup in Nuggetsā loss to Timberwolves
Nikola JokiÄ reacts after McDaniels' late layup leads to ejections in playoff game.
Yahoo SportsĀ·Ā·1 min read
Sports
Police 'aware' of video appearing to show York player punching fan
Police Investigate Video of York City Player Punching Fan
Yahoo SportsĀ·Ā·1 min read
CricketĀ·Preview
Today IPL Match, LSG vs KKR: Predicted playing XI, head-to-head, pitch report, Lucknow weather update
Today's IPL clash: Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders - key insights!
See every story in Sports ā including breaking news and analysis.
Philadelphia Eagles (home, away)
Arizona Cardinals (home)
Cleveland Browns (home)
Jacksonville Jaguars (home)
New Orleans Saints (home)
San Francisco 49ers (home)
Tennessee Titans (home)
Detroit Lions (road)
Indianapolis Colts (road)
Houston Texans (road)
Seattle Seahawks (road)
Los Angeles Rams (road)
1 / 14
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: Best photos from Week 18
Dallas Cowboys (home, away)
1 / 14
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: Best photos from Week 18
Dallas Cowboys (home, away)
2 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
Washington Commanders (home, away)
3 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
Philadelphia Eagles (home, away)
4 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
Arizona Cardinals (home)
5 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
Cleveland Browns (home)
6 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
Jacksonville Jaguars (home)
7 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
New Orleans Saints (home)
8 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
San Francisco 49ers (home)
9 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
Tennessee Titans (home)
10 / 14
New York Giants vs. Detroit Lions: Best photos from Week 12
Detroit Lions (road)
11 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
Indianapolis Colts (road)
12 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
Houston Texans (road)
13 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
Seattle Seahawks (road)
14 / 14
New York Giants' 2026 opponents
Los Angeles Rams (road)
The nephew of former NFL cornerback Roderick Hood, who played under John Harbaugh with the Philadelphia Eagles, and trained All-Pro Patrick Peterson during his time in Arizona, has a long list of esteemed players he names as influences.
"My uncle played 10 years in the league, and he trained Patrick Peterson when he was with the Arizona Cardinals," Hood said. "So, yeah, Pat P is a big one, someone I looked up to since I was 13, 14 years old. Someone I always watched. I would also say Pat Surtain, Darrelle Revis, Jaycee Horn -- all those guys are great man-to-man lockdown corners, and they also go get the ball. Those are some of the main guys."
But it was his Uncle Rod and father who got the most credit for getting him to the NFL.
"I learned everything from him, like him and my dad, just about football. My uncle to the more technical side of playing the position, playing corner, he taught me almost everything I know about it. Definitely somebody I look up to, somebody who I still go to to this day if I need any advice about the position," he said.
Hood is ecstatic to be with the Giants and Harbaugh.
"I've been dreaming about this since I was six years old, looking at my ceiling, dreaming about playing in the NFL. To get to play for such a storied franchise as the Giants in this great city of New York is just something that even I couldn't have dreamed of. Just being able to be here in this moment is amazing and definitely something that I'm grateful for and I'm going to be appreciative of," he said.
Asked about who his favorite Giants players were, Hood was ready.
"You want me to name them all? Michael Strahan, Eli Manning, Odell Beckham, Lawrence Taylor -- I mean, like there's so many players that have come here, did the right thing, and the city loves them for it," Hood. "I'm a football guy. I'm big on football. That's all I know. That's all I do. Yeah, I love this franchise, and I'm glad to be a part of it."
That's music to the ears of the Giants and their fans.