The New York Giants selected Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood with the 37th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. The immediate reaction from experts is that the Giants got a first-round talent in the second round.
“High-character kid,” Giants general manager Joe Schoen said of Hood after selecting him in the draft. “He’s been at Auburn and Colorado, then Tennessee, and we spent some time with him at the combine, but a kid that’s tough, that shows up on tape, he’s not afraid to throw his body around and tackle, he’s physical, and truly loves the ball.”
That’s right. Hood played at three different colleges in the past three seasons, but it was his time at Tennessee last year that got him noticed. Hood was named Second-team All-SEC for his efforts.
Hood was recently asked what he felt would be the biggest transition from the college level to the pro level for him.
“I think the more mental part of the game. Just, you know, making sure I’m in my playbook, knowing what I need to do, when I need to do it, and then kind of like just watching film and knowing what I got, what the guys around me have. But I think that’ll make me better at my job, so definitely those two things,” he said.
Hood doesn’t have much of a leap to get himself some playing time this season. The Giants’ current starters are Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II, with Dru Phillips as the slot man. Adebo and Phillips are secure, but Newsome will need to outplay Hood and former first-rounder Deonte Banks for the other outside corner slot.
The Giants love Hood’s aggressive approach and will be giving him a fair shot at winning a job.
“I see a good room. But I want a great room,” head coach John Harbaugh said of the secondary this offseason. “I want a dominant room. I want a bunch of pit bulls out there flying around making plays on the football, and Colton Hood gives us another guy in there to do that and compete and push everybody.”
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants’ Colton Hood on NFL transition: Have to be more mentally sound
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
