'Football guy' Colton Hood realizing his childhood dream with New York Giants

New York Giants second-round pick Colton Hood is ready to take on the world. He's always aimed high, and all of his life, he has had one great desire -- to become an NFL player. The Tennessee cornerback, selected by the Giants with the 37th pick in this 2026 NFL draft on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, was in the team's facility on Saturday for his introductory press conference.

He told reporters that he has trained for this moment since he was a young boy. "Probably running hills," Hood said when asked what the hardest thing he did as a kid. "That was pretty hard.

My dad, since I was like nine years old, used to make us get up at 6:00 in the morning and go run hills. Also, he made us run like 20-something 200s on the track. That was pretty hard.

With steel-toed boots, so that was pretty hard. " The nephew of former NFL cornerback Roderick Hood, who played under John Harbaugh with the Philadelphia Eagles, and trained All-Pro Patrick Peterson during his time in Arizona, has a long list of esteemed players he names as influences. "My uncle played 10 years in the league, and he trained Patrick Peterson when he was with the Arizona Cardinals," Hood said.