Hood is a good-sized cover corner who plays with a combination of anticipation, tenacity, and toughness. A transfer to Tennessee in 2025 after stops at Colorado and Auburn, he’s a speedy athlete with excellent mirroring skills in coverage. He’s happy to play in tight press coverage at the line, where he uses his length to jam and reroute receivers. He’s comfortable in bump-and-run coverage downfield and shows the ability to leverage his length to disrupt passing lanes and discourage throws. He has the makeup speed to close the gap when in a trailing position and shows a good feel for when to look back for the ball. In zone, he’s aggressive when he triggers downhill and breaks on the ball. Hood brings a physical presence to the cornerback position. He likes to lay big hits and is vicious at the catch point, using his long arms to punch and swipe at the ball or knock it down. He gave up just one touchdown in coverage over the past two seasons, per PFF, while tallying three picks, 10 pass breakups, and 26 stops. 

Hood is an aggressive and physical tackler, but he doesn’t always put maximum effort into that part of the game. There are times when he fails to set the edge and position himself correctly against the run. And while he improved his missed tackle rate last season, it has been an issue at times in his career (he logged 11 missed tackles in 2024 at Colorado for a 37 percent missed tackle rate, per PFF). He is a little clunky in his transition from a backpedal to trailing coverage, and he can get a little grabby when he falls behind his receiver.