The New York Giants selected Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood with the 37th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, adding a transfer defender who made his biggest mark in one season in Knoxville.
Hood committed to Tennessee in May 2025 after transferring from Colorado and then turned that lone season into an All-SEC finish from both the and coaches. He was also a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2025, an honor that helped push him into the early part of the draft after he declared following the regular season and earned an invitation to the 2026 NFL Combine.
Hood’s path to the draft was unusually brief but packed with stops. He played his redshirt freshman season in 2024 at Colorado, after spending his freshman season of 2023 at Auburn, and he arrived at Tennessee as a native of McDonough, Georgia, looking for a bigger stage. He left it with 77 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery for a touchdown in 29 career games with 13 starts.
The selection also fits into a Giants draft class that has drawn attention for multiple reasons. The draft tracker for New York’s 2026 class also notes analysts graded the Giants’ picks of Ohio State edge defender Arvell Reese and Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, though the provided text does not include those grades. It also says Mauigoa went 10th overall and was asked live on national television if he had a message for Jaxson Dart.
For the Giants, Hood adds a proven college producer whose production came quickly and in different settings. For Hood, the next step is no longer about transfers or awards. It is about carrying a short but sharp college résumé into the NFL and trying to make the 37th pick look like a bargain.
