NFL insider gives Trey Smith another Vols teammate in Kansas City in his latest mock draft

Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood has built up a lot of momentum since taking the field for Tennessee last September. The former Vol played beyond most people’s expectations despite a down season for Tennessee, earning an invitation to the NFL Combine and the Senior Bowl. He didn’t disappoint at either place. He received plenty of buzz […]

Craig Smith College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
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Jan 23, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith (65) celebrates while leaving the field after the win over the Buffalo Bills during an AFC Divisional playoff football game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood has built up a lot of momentum since taking the field for Tennessee last September.

The former Vol played beyond most people’s expectations despite a down season for Tennessee, earning an invitation to the NFL Combine and the Senior Bowl. He didn’t disappoint at either place. He received plenty of buzz for being one of the toughest covers at the Senior Bowl. He also posted a 4.44 40-yard dash time, 40.5-inch vertical leap, and 10-foot five-inch broad jump at the Combine, showing off elite athleticism and explosiveness.

His athleticism and tape have put him in the conversation of being a first round draft pick, and absolutely going somewhere in the first two rounds of the draft.

NFL insider Peter Schrager put out his mock draft on Tuesday, and he sees Hood being a first round pick and joining former Tennessee lineman Trey Smith in Kansas City.

Peter Schrager has Kansas City Chiefs taking Tennessee CB Colton Hood with the No. 29 pick in latest NFL mock draft

“Hood was highly productive last season, with 10 pass breakups despite Jermod McCoy being out of the lineup opposite him,” Schrager wrote. “Kansas City lost three key defensive backs in free agency (Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams), so there is a big need. Hood — the nephew of former pro Roderick Hood — brings a pro-style mentality and a knack for being around the ball.”

Kansas City certainly would be a logical fit for the Chiefs for the reasons that Schrager notes. The Chiefs have two picks in the first round — at No. 9 and No. 29. If they don’t go with one of the top cornerbacks at No. 9, such as LSU’s Mansoor Delane or Hood’s Tennessee teammate Jermod McCoy, then Hood could be a very logical backup option later in the first round.

Hood has the size and physicality to disrupt wide receivers near the line, and he was excellent last year in run support for Tennessee, with a missed tackle rate of just 6.6%.

We’ll find out soon enough if Smith and Hood will share a locker room together, as the NFL Draft gets underway on April 23 in Pittsburgh.