Former SEC linebacker shares story about Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood that will change how NFL teams view the former Vol
Former Tennessee Vols defensive back Colton Hood is hoping to be a first round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft later this week. Hood spent one season at Tennessee before declaring for the NFL Draft.
Former Tennessee Vols cornerback Colton Hood is hoping to be a first round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Hood has been a late first round selection in most mock drafts, though some have him slipping to the second round.
The Georgia native started his career at Auburn before transferring to Colorado and eventually landing at Tennessee.
“I think I’m the best corner in this class, honestly,” said Hood at the NFL combine in February. “And there’s a lot of great players, my teammates, all the guys — they’re great players. But I honestly think I’m the best corner in the draft. I haven’t even played my best football yet. I’m a one year starter. I started 774 snaps, and I think I did a pretty good job with the snaps I played. So definitely, that played into it. I just have confidence in myself that throughout this process I’m going to continue to raise my (draft) stock.”
Former Auburn linebacker shares incredible story about Colton Hood
Former Auburn Tigers linebacker Eugene Asante took to Twitter/X.com on Sunday night to share a story about Hood ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Asante, who played with Hood at Auburn in 2023, shared that he once showed up to the facility to watch some one-on-one work between the wide receivers and defensive backs.
When Asante arrived, Hood was the only defensive back on the field, and he was going through every single rep.
“Before the NFL Draft starts on Thursday, I want to speak on a prospect Colton Hood out of Tennessee,” tweeted Asante. “Colton Hood was a young CB at Auburn when I was there. I was a team captain ready to try to lead a team thru the gauntlet of the SEC. It was an off-day and I remember the WRs and DBs had a 1v1s at the facility that day.
“I showed up to see the competition and get coverage work. I kid you not, Colton Hood was the only DB out there, and he is going every single rep against these 7-8 Wide Receivers. It got to the point where he did so many reps he had to take a 5 min break and got up and finished the session. I remember running upstairs to our DC and saying that’s the guy we need on the field. And it’s no coincidence he blossomed into what he became at Tennessee.”
After what we saw from Hood at Tennessee in 2025, it’s no surprise to hear that story from Asante.
Hood is an elite competitor who leaves it all on the field. His physical traits are high-level, but it’s the effort and relentless competitiveness that makes Hood such an attractive player to NFL teams.