Oh, So Lonely: Meet the Two Players in NFL Draft Green Room Who Weren’t Selected in the First Round

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In just about every sports competition, being the last man standing is something to strive for. The final team standing wins the championship each year. It’s a mark of resilience and victory.

That is not the case in the NFL draft green room.

Every year, the top prospects in all of football are invited to the NFL draft to hear their names called in person and get their graduation stage walk over to commissioner Roger Goodell for a hug or handshake. These days, players attending the NFL draft is far less popular than it once was—No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza opted to stay home in Miami over flying to Pittsburgh this year, for example—but it still attracts most of the biggest names in the game.

Like a pickup football game at recess, though, one of those top prospects sitting in the NFL draft green room has to be the one to hear their name called last. And that’s where we get our NFL Draft Green Room “Mr. Irrelevant.”

The most famous example is Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers back in 2005. Leading up to the draft, Rodgers was in contention to go to his hometown 49ers with the No. 1 pick, but instead San Francisco opted to select Utah quarterback Alex Smith. Rodgers slipped all the way down to the Packers at No. 24, and his drastic fall turned into incredible reality television for those watching on ESPN.

Watching back that 2005 draft broadcast is pretty wild. ESPN kept a camera tight on Rodgers’s face to catch his expression nearly every time a pick was made that was not him. At one point, while the Chargers were on the clock at No. 12 (a pick they used to draft linebacker Shawne Merriman), ESPN interviewed a frazzled Rodgers and asked him why he thinks he’s sliding, live in the moment.

Times have changed, and probably for the better. On Thursday night, viewers hardly saw a glimpse of the NFL draft green room and instead saw each prospect only while they experienced their earned moment of glory on their long walk up to the NFL draft stage—and not when they were sweating out each pick behind the scenes.

Sixteen players attended the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh, including seven prospects that were selected No. 2 through No. 8. But of those 16, two weren’t drafted in the first round Thursday night.

Let’s meet them:

Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee

Hood, who Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer mocked to the Chiefs at No. 29 before the draft Thursday, slipped through the opening round. Just two cornerbacks were selected in the first round—LSU’s Mansoor Delane, who Kansas City traded up to select at No. 6, and San Diego State’s Chris Johnson, who was selected No. 27 by the Dolphins.

Hood played three seasons of college football—one apiece for Auburn, Colorado and Tennessee. In 2025, he tallied 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, eight passes defensed and one interception for the Volunteers. At 6’0” and 193 pounds, he’s known as an effective run stopper who can also keep up with the game’s speediest receivers with his 4.44 40-yard dash.

SI’s latest mock draft: Sports Illustrated’s Daniel Flick projects Hood will be sweating it out for a bit Friday night and will finally get drafted by the Bengals with the No. 41 pick—the ninth selection of the second round.

Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State

Many Buckeyes heard their names called Thursday night—four to be exact, including three of the top seven picks—but McDonald was not one of those names. The reigning Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year will have to wait until Friday’s Day 2 to hear his name called.

A force against the run, McDonald tallied 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss and three sacks in his third and final season at Ohio State.

SI’s latest mock draft: Sports Illustrated’s Daniel Flick projects McDonald will be taken by the Raiders with the No. 36 pick on Friday night.

Where the 16 NFL draft attendees were selected

PICK	PLAYER	TEAM
2	David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech	Jets
3	Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame	Cardinals
4	Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State	Titans
5	Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State	Giants
6	Mansoor Delane, DB, LSU	Chiefs
7	Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State	Commanders
8	Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State	Saints
10	Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami	Giants
11	Caleb Downs, DB, Ohio State	Cowboys
12	Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama	Dolphins
13	Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama	Rams
15	Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Maimi	Buccaneers
20	Makai Lemon, WR, USC	Eagles
31	Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn	Titans
TBD	Colton Hood, DB, Tennessee	TBD
TBD	Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State	TBD

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