Overview

Position: CB

College: Tennessee

Class: Sophomore (RS)

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 5’11 5/8”

Weight: 193 lbs.

Arm length: 31 3/8″

Hand size: 9″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.44 sec.

10-yard split: 1.58 sec.

Vertical jump: 40.5″

Broad jump: 125.0″

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Extremely smooth player. Athletic movement skills. Great burst and acceleration. Above-average speed. Ideal size and excellent length. Very strong in press coverage. Smoothly transitions from jams to running with receivers. Blankets opponents along the sideline. Tremendous ability to defend vertical routes with his back to the quarterback. Will use physicality to press opponents against the boundary on vertical routes. Stays right on the hip of opponents covering the go ball. Sticks to receivers and gets his head around at the catch point. Very confident turning his head to locate the ball in the air. Fluid transitioning from side shuffle to a sprint. Very quick feet and excellent fluidity completely flipping his hips to change direction. Great play recognition and awareness. Stays light on his feet watching things play out in cushion coverage. Showed deception in short zone coverage to defend vertical routes on the outside with normal technique before coming off to play an underneath route. Very smooth overall cover transitions. Outstanding fluidity at his size to flip his hips and break underneath. Very fluid reacting to in-breaking routes when retreating in the side shuffle. Stays in the pocket of opponents on crossing routes. Ready to pounce on comebacks. Stays on hitches from press coverage. Quick reaction time seeing things play out as the backside cornerback. Athletic changing up his coverage looks before and after the snap. Flashed natural playmaking ability. Experience on both sides and saw snaps in the slot. Quick recognizing and aggressive defending screen passes. Will wrap up after the catch. Aware with quick reaction time to recognize a run and get around a blocker. Good strength to push blockers away. Keeps outside contain tackling on the perimeter. Very effective chopping opponents down as a tackler in space.

 

Weaknesses

Often played a freestyle type of coverage and might need to polish his technique at the next level. Potential concern about being fooled by eye manipulation from savvy quarterbacks when roaming as a zone defender. Allowed a step on an out-and-up route versus Oklahoma but saved by the throw being sailed (2025). Would like to see better technique as a tackler with ball-carriers coming at him with speed.

 

NFL comparison

Patrick Peterson

 

Conclusion

Overall, Hood is a smooth, talented cornerback who will blanket opponents in press-man coverage and showed high awareness as a zone defender. Based on the movement skills and overall athletic upside, he can be molded into one of the game’s top cornerbacks.

 

Big Board ranking: #8 | Positional ranking: #2