Thanks to growing concerns over the long-term health of his knee, Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy‘s stock appears to be trending down on the eve of the draft. McCoy might not even be the first Tennessee cornerback to come off the board. That honor could go to Colton Hood, Dan Graziano of ESPN reports. Hood may even be the first corner selected after LSU’s Mansoor Delane, per Graziano.
Hood spent his three years in college at three different schools. After redshirting as a freshman at Auburn, he transferred to Colorado in 2024. During his lone season playing under Deion Sanders, Hood intercepted two passes in 13 games. He could have helped replace the departed Travis Hunter last year, but Hood left for Tennessee instead. McCoy wound up missing the entire season with a torn ACL, meaning he and Hood never played together.
With McCoy out of commission in 2025, Hood served as the Vols’ top outside corner and totaled personal bests in tackles (50), passes defensed (eight) and TFL (4.5) in a dozen games. The 5-foot-11, 193-pounder also pulled in an interception, which he returned for a 23-yard touchdown, and picked up a second-team All-SEC nod. In his most recent pre-draft rankings, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com places Hood 21st overall (two spots behind McCoy) and contends he is a “complete player” who should be a capable starter from the get-go.
While this is likely an incomplete list, we know Hood visited with at least six teams in the lead-up to the draft. Along with the Cowboys, he met with the Chiefs, Jets, Raiders, Texans and Seahawks. With the Raiders poised to use the No. 1 pick on quarterback Fernando Mendoza, they may be out on Hood unless they trade back into the first round for him. Hood’s stock has risen enough that he may not be available when the Raiders are on the clock again at 36. If Hood does end up as the second corner taken, the Texans (28th) and Seahawks (32nd) pick late enough in the first round that they also may be out of his range.