The New York Giants selected cornerback Colton Hood with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. General manager Joe Schoen expressed excitement about adding Hood, a projected first-round talent, to enhance the team's depth and competition.
Key points
New York Giants selected Colton Hood with the No. 37 pick
Colton Hood was a projected first-round pick
General manager Joe Schoen expressed excitement about Hood
Hood adds depth and competition to the roster
He played college football at Tennessee
Colton HoodNew York GiantsTennessee
What pre-draft scouting reports said about New York Giants CB Colton Hood
The New York Giants returned to the war room after two big selections in Round 1, following it up with a second pair of big selections on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL draft.
First up, with the No. 37 overall pick, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh called the name of Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood, a projected first-round pick who was left sitting in the Pittsburgh draft room on Thursday night.
"We had targeted Colton Hood as a guy, corner is a premium position, and a player we really like. So the fact that he was there, there's some good players taken in front of us certainly, but really excited to get Colton where we were able to get him, and again add some really good depth and competition to the roster we currently have," Schoen said.
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Q&A
What did the scouting reports say about Colton Hood before the draft?
Scouting reports indicated that Colton Hood was a projected first-round pick, highlighting his skills as a cornerback.
Why did the New York Giants select Colton Hood in the 2026 NFL draft?
The Giants selected Colton Hood to add depth and competition at the cornerback position, which is considered premium.
Who is Colton Hood and what college did he play for?
Colton Hood is a cornerback who played for the University of Tennessee before being drafted by the New York Giants.
What position does Colton Hood play for the New York Giants?
Colton Hood plays as a cornerback for the New York Giants.
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"Competing to start. That's what he's going to do. We got a got a cornerback room now. It's amazing how one addition changes the math in a room," Harbaugh said. "Cornerback room is good, but now it's really good. He's going to push everybody, and he'll be -- I know one thing, he's planning on coming in here and trying to win a starting job."
Here's a look back at what the pre-draft scouting reports had to say about Hood.
A one-year starter at Tennessee, Hood was an outside cornerback in former defensive coordinator Tim Banks’ man-heavy scheme. After one season at Auburn and another at Colorado, he transferred to Knoxville for the 2025 season and quickly earned the respect of SEC receivers (Georgia receivers Dillon Bell and Colbie Young both said Hood was the best corner they faced in college).
Despite not becoming a defensive player until his junior year of high school, Hood plays comfortably in man-to-man on an island. He competes with the physicality of a bigger and longer player, and he looks to reroute receivers from the jump. He needs to shore up some of his technique and become more consistent in finding the football, but he isn’t a passive or athletically deficient player. He’s also shown promise with his hunting eyes from off coverage and reliable tackling skills.
Press-man bully with an ability to put his stamp on the first and last phases of the snap. Hood plays with a disruptive punch and gets his hands on most releases, but shifty NFL wideouts could create issues for him. He has enough speed to stay phased on verticals and does a nice job erasing space on in-breakers from tight press or off-man looks. He’s disciplined in zone but route switches still cause occasional missteps. Hood plays with aggression in the catch space, taking top positioning by force. Physicality also shows up in run support, where he triggers downhill with stopping power and finishes like an extra safety. Hood needs to sharpen his instincts/technique, but he has the mentality and upside to become a CB2 in a press-heavy scheme.
Hood has the strength and length to reroute receivers at the line of scrimmage and turns and runs well. He closes strongly and delivers big hits in off coverage. He tends to look over his outside shoulder when he has his back to the quarterback, but he did a better job of turning his head inside at Senior Bowl practices. He keeps working and stays connected when quarterbacks extend plays.
He excels in 50-50 and jump ball situations, pushing receivers around at the catch point and attempting to rip or punch the ball out before they can complete a catch. His 40 1/2–inch vertical jump at the combine is an outstanding result for a corner. He intercepted three passes over the past two seasons, and he catches the ball well enough to make plays.
His tape raises some concerns about his ability to recognize and sort through route combinations in zone looks, and he is prone to guessing or getting sloppy with his technique. He falls off some tackles, but he doesn’t shy away from contact and flashes the ability to get off blocks. And he chases with good effort. He covered punts and kickoffs in 2024.
Hood's best football is played within ten yards of the line, where his press technique, jam strength, and diagnostic ability combine to make him a nightmare for receivers trying to get into their routes clean. The coverage grades back it up: his man-to-man work graded out at an excellent level, and his overall coverage marks ranked among the best in the SEC. That combination of physical tools and coverage instincts is not something you can teach.
The fit that makes the most sense is a defense that plays a heavy dose of man coverage on the outside but also asks its corners to sit in Cover 2 flats and read the quarterback's eyes. Hood showed real comfort carrying receivers to zones and triggering on underneath throws during his time in Tennessee's scheme, and his closing speed makes him dangerous as a flat defender who can rally and take away the short stuff. Zone-heavy quarters concepts where he can read and react also suit his skill set, because his route recognition and break-on-the-ball ability are ahead of schedule for a player with his limited starting experience. The return ability, dating back to his high school days, adds a dimension that gets him on the field from Day 1 even if the defensive snaps need to be earned.
With the Volunteers, Hood was again expected to be a CB2 playing across from Jermod McCoy, but McCoy's early-season injury thrust Hood into a CB1 role, where he thrived. In 2025, Hood racked up an INT, eight pass breakups, and 4.5 TFLs, while earning a near-elite PFSN CB Impact score of 87.3. At 6'0", 195 pounds, Hood has an enticing blend of explosiveness, corrective twitch, reactive coil, proportional length, and physicality.
He's still learning to play with more patience and discipline, but he possesses clear early-round ability, with his coverage mobility as the foundation. Hood can stick to WRs in press-man, as well as suddenly redirect and explode through breaks in off-man and zone. His playmaking ability is stamped at the catch point, and he's a consistent tackler in support as well.
In time, Hood has the potential to become a high-end starter with inbuilt schematic versatility.
There is a lot to like about Hood as a pro, and he looks capable of being a starting outside corner over his first two seasons in the league. Hood is a superb press man corner with impressive strength, jab, and reroute skills, and the ability to disrupt timing routes at the line of scrimmage. Hood uses his length and strength along with the sideline to defend wideouts running vertically downfield. He has enough speed to carry verticals and is capable of running with receivers running go routes. With the ball in the air, Hood doesn’t panic and shows quality ball skills to break up passes. Hood is also talented in zone coverage as he has good instincts and route recognition.
As a pro, Hood would fit best as a press man or zone corner. He is not as good a fit in off-man, and pro receivers with twitch and explosion could give him problems in off-man coverage. He should be protected from being put in that coverage too much. Hood also needs to reduce his grabbing and punching with receivers. As a pro, he could have issues with drawing pass interference penalties with his tendency to be so physical.
Hood is a good run defender as he attacks the football. He is a physical, willing tackler with no hesitation to get physical with defenders. As a pro, Hood should be an asset as a run defender to help his pro defense.
