Seahawks select Riq Woolen replacement in 2026 NFL mock draft

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

The Seahawks are unlikely to sign the fourth-year cornerback out of UTSA. So they may be looking for his replacement either in free agency or the NFL draft. That's part of the reason why Sports Illustrated writer Daniel Flick suggested that the Seahawks would take Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood with the No. 30 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

"Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe are both slated to hit free agency in the spring, and Seattle will need reinforcements on the perimeter," Flick wrote.

"Hood, a Colorado transfer, took over as the Volunteers’ top corner and flourished amid McCoy’s absence. The 6' 0", 195-pound Hood is loaded with transitional quickness and recovery speed, and he often stays in phase as a result. Hood, who made one interception and eight pass breakups this season, is a quality cover corner with plenty of upside."

Colton Hood walks the Vol Walk during a college football game between Tennessee and ETSU at Neyland Stadium. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hood to Seahawks in NFL Draft?

Woolen was a breakout star in his rookie season with the Seahawks, but he ultimately seeded the number one cornerback job to Devon Witherspoon, who was chosen in the first round by the Seahawks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

With Witherspoon likely getting a long-term contract extension either this offseason or next, Woolen's future with the Seahawks is very much at stake. It's likely that the Seahawks will let him move on and try to find a new deal, as they won't be able to afford him beyond the 2025 campaign.

This makes a player like Hood a potential option for the Seahawks in the first round of the draft.

Hood was the fifth cornerback taken in Flick's mock draft behind LSU's Mansoor Delane, Tennessee teammate Jermod McCoy, Clemson's Avieon Terrell, and South Carolina's Brandon Cisse.

Hood could be one of the first cornerbacks called in April's draft. If he's still on the board when the Seahawks are ready to pick, he could be heading to the Pacific Northwest.

In the meantime, the Seahawks are back in action against the Los Angeles Rams for their Week 16 matchup at 5:15 p.m. PT.

Colton Hood at the Vol Walk before a NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Oklahoma Sooners. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hood to Seahawks in NFL Draft?

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