The Las Vegas Raiders have met with Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Tennessee corner Colton Hood wraps up the pre-draft process having visited the Jets, Cowboys, Texans, Chiefs, Seahawks and Raiders, per source. Hood, a first-round candidate, is one of 16 prospects attending the draft.”
Hood was given a pro comparison from Bleacher Report to Houston Texans’ standout CB Kamari Lassiter, who’s become one of the top corners in the NFL.
“Whatever team that takes Tennessee CB Colton Hood is getting the steal of the draft. That dude is different,” SleeperNFL tweeted out back on March 18th.
Raiders Met With Next Kamari Lassiter, Potential Trade-Up Target in Colton Hood Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
Colton Hood, 21, scored an impressive 9.66 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) during the NFL Combine and is a top-five corner prospect on Dane Brugler’s yearly edition of The Beast for The Athletic.
A short summary on Hood from Brugler? “A balanced, scrappy athlete who can attach himself to receivers; likely an early starter.”
Hood is by far one of the more athletic corners in this year’s draft. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he ranked 6th in production score (76), 3rd in athleticism score (84), and 2nd in total score (82).
As far as the Raiders are concerned, there’s a chance he can fall to them at pick 36 in the second round. Corners that could be taken ahead of him in the draft include LSU’s Mansoor Delane (top 10 projection), his teammate Jermond McCoy (mid-1st-round projection), San Diego State’s Chris Johnson (who also met with the Raiders), and Clemson’s Avieon Terell (brother of Atlanta Falcons’ star CB A.J. Terrell).
Las Vegas might have to make a small trade-up back into the first round if they want to draft Hood.
More on Hood
GettyColton Hood #8 of the Tennessee Volunteers returns an interception for a touchdown.
For some reference on where Hood is projected to be off the board, let’s take a look at some recent NFL mock drafts.
The Athletic – Pick 32
ESPN – Pick 29
CBS Sports – Pick 30
Likely a late first-round pick, Vegas is doing its homework on Hood to see if he’s worthy of a trade up back into the first round.
Based on Brugler’s analysis of Hood, it sounds like that could be the case.
“Despite not becoming a defensive player until his junior year of high school, Hood plays comfortably in man-to-man on an island. He competes with the physicality of a bigger and longer player, and he looks to reroute receivers from the jump. He needs to shore up some of his technique and become more consistent in finding the football, but he isn’t a passive or athletically deficient player. He’s also shown promise with his hunting eyes from off coverage and reliable tackling skills.”
Using the NFL’s Trade Value Chart, the Raiders could package picks 36 and 117 to move into the end of the first round to draft Hood.
Corner isn’t the biggest need on the roster, but Hood might be a prospect the Raiders want on their team, even if a small trade-up is necessary.
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