CW #4

Craig Woodson

Safety · California

A hard-hitting, six-year Cal captain who started all 17 games as a rookie and delivered 10 tackles in Super Bowl LX.

Craig Woodson spent six years at California before the Patriots made him a fourth-round pick in 2025, and the versatile safety wasted no time proving the wait was worth it. He started immediately, played every game of his rookie season, and turned in one of the loudest playoff performances of any first-year Patriot.

★ Two-year team captain at California

★ 245 career tackles and 5 interceptions in college

★ Started all 17 games as an NFL rookie in 2025

★ 10 tackles in Super Bowl LX

Path to the league

Woodson missed all of the 2021 season with a knee injury but returned to become a full-time starter at California in 2022, when he housed a 39-yard pick-six in the season opener. Over his final three seasons with the Golden Bears he racked up 245 career tackles, 21 pass deflections and five interceptions in 46 games, serving as a two-year team captain. New England selected him in the fourth round, 106th overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Career highlights

Woodson combined physicality with range throughout his Cal career, posting a 154-tackle stretch across the 2022 and 2023 seasons alone. His signature trait, an aggressive, downhill approach to run support paired with coverage instincts, is what made him a fourth-round value in a deep safety class.

2025 season recap

Woodson started all 17 regular-season games as a rookie, finishing with 79 tackles, three pass deflections and two fumble recoveries. He was even better in the playoffs, piling up 30 tackles and an interception across four postseason games, including 10 tackles in New England's Super Bowl LX appearance.