The Seattle Seahawks are set to draft former Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood as a replacement for Riq Woolen, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Woolen's departure leaves a significant gap in the Seahawks' defense ahead of the upcoming draft.
Latest mock draft has Seahawks landing perfect replacement for Riq Woolen originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Seattle Seahawks successfully made it back to the top of the football world in 2025, winning the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots.
It's common for teams great teams to lose contributors and that's exactly what happened to the Seahawks. Starting outside cornerback Riq Woolen signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, and the team hasn't added much to replace Woolen so far.
Woolen put up a respectable 61.2 Pro Football Focus grade in 2025 and was credited with eight pass breakups and one interception. The corner was able to parlay that performance into a $15 million deal with the Eagles, leaving the Seahawks with a big hole.
However, with the draft approaching, the team could end up being in a good position to find a replacement. Mike Renner of CBS Sports recently published an updated mock and he has the Seahawks drafting former Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood in the first round.
Regarding this potential pick, Renner offered the following:
Hood fills the void left by Tariq Woolen on the outside for Seattle. He's a physical, competitive corner and a much better tackler than Woolen was in this defense.
As Renner mentioned, Hood could be the perfect corner to fill Woolen's void. Also, the Seahawks' defensive scheme requires its cornerbacks to tackle, and Hood excels in that category.
In 2025 with the Volunteers, Hood played in 12 games and collected 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, eight pass deflections, and one interception. Pro Football Focus gave Hood a solid 79.2 grade, which ranked 89th out of 897 qualified corners.
In total, Hood played in 29 games across three seasons in college and racked up 77 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 14 pass deflections, and three interceptions. Playing in the SEC and Big 12, Hood also has plenty of big-game experience and fared well against NFL-caliber competition.
In Seattle, Hood would likely be expected to start opposite Devon Witherspoon from the jump. Currently, Josh Jobe is penciled in to start, and that's definitely not the ideal situation for a team hoping to repeat as champions.
Riq Woolen is a former starting outside cornerback for the Seahawks who signed a $15 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, leaving the Seahawks in need of a replacement.
Colton Hood, the former Tennessee cornerback, is projected to be drafted in the first round, indicating a strong potential to fill the gap left by Woolen.
In 2025, Riq Woolen recorded a Pro Football Focus grade of 61.2, with eight pass breakups and one interception, showcasing his effectiveness as a cornerback.
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