Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots safety heading into his first season in the NFL.
The New England Patriots’ safety position was supposed to be a strength heading into 2024, but instead the unit suffered constant personnel turnover. Heading into 2025, however, there is reason for optimism again — in large part because of the team’s offseason moves meant to bolster the depth behind projected starters Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers.
One big part of those efforts was selecting Cal’s Craig Woodson in the fourth round of the draft.
Name: Craig Woodson
Position: Safety
Jersey number: 31
Opening day age: 24 (2/20/2001)
Measurements: 6’0 1/8”, 200 lbs, 75 1/4” wingspan, 30 1/2” arm length, 8 3/4” hand size, 4.45s 40-yard dash, 7.06s 3-cone drill, 4.20s short shuttle, 36” vertical jump, 10’7” broad jump, 13 bench press reps, 8.75 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2020-) | College: California (2019-24)
Initially a wide receiver and running back at South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, TX, Woodson switched to defense ahead of his junior season and never looked back. He eventually was rated as a three-star recruit and picked up scholarship offers from both FBS and FCS schools. After initially committing to UTSA, he changed directions and enrolled at Cal in July 2019.
Woodson spent six years in Berkeley, with his career one of two halves. He started out as a redshirt, saw his second season disrupted by Covid-19, and missed his third altogether due to a knee injury. When he returned in 2022, he promptly became a starter in the secondary; he started 38 straight games over his last three seasons and was named all-conference each time (honorable mention All-Pac 12 2022 and 2023, third-team All-ACC 2024).
When he left school to join the NFL, he had 46 games with 40 starts on his résumé, as well as five interceptions (including one pick-six), three forced fumbles and a blocked punt. Woodson was picked 106th overall by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2025 draft.
Strengths: Woodson wore several hats during his time at Cal, playing all over the Golden Bears’ secondary as well as on special teams. His versatility should translate to the NFL too, and allow him to contribute on up to four downs from early on in his pro career — especially because he has already been praised for his work ethic behind the scenes in his short time in New England.
Woodson has had good production aligning close to the box, in large part due to his quick processor and natural instincts. He reads plays quickly, and has the fluidity in his movements as well as the spatial awareness to react on the fly. He finds his way to the ball carrier through traffic, and is a technically sound wrap-up tackler.
In coverage, Woodson has shown good timing attacking the ball in the air and reaching past intended targets to register a pass breakups. He also rarely finds...
