The New York Giants drafted Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood with the 37th pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He was the third cornerback taken.
Hood had his best season in his lone year at Tennessee after playing in the rotation alongside two-way Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter at Colorado in 2024 and redshirting his first season at Auburn in 2023.
Hood, who didn’t play defense until his junior year of high school, gave up just 28 receptions on 52 targets and surrendered only one touchdown on 451 coverage snaps. Two Georgia receivers said he was the best corner they faced in college. He scored a pair of touchdowns last season, one on an interception against Mississippi State and another on a fumble in the Vols’ season opener against Syracuse, playing his way into semifinalist honors for the Thorpe Award as college football’s best defensive back.