The 2026 NFL Draft is still months away, but the mock drafts have already started.

ESPN’s Field Yates released his first-round predictions and had the New England Patriots selecting cornerback Colton Hood out of Tennessee at No. 30.

“Under coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have made such a leap that they don’t have an immediate need to fill if the board falls this way. But the team generally needs more cornerback depth behind All-Pro Christian Gonzalez, as Carlton Davis III will turn 29 in a few weeks,” Yates wrote . “Hood has some areas to clean up with his technique, but there’s an infectious energy that you see every time you watch him play. He posted 10 pass breakups this season — his first with Tennessee after spending one season at Colorado and his freshman year at Auburn. Hoo

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