The New England Patriots made a bit of a surprise pick on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft when they selected University of California safety Craig Woodson in the fourth round (No. 106 overall).
Safety was a position where the Patriots needed to add some depth, but cornerback, tight end, offensive tackle and a few other positions were larger weaknesses that needed to be addressed.
But so far, it looks like the Patriots made a good choice.
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SIGN UP HERE On the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston's Next Pats Podcast, our Patriots insider Phil Perry revealed that Woodson has impressed coaches in Foxboro since being drafted.
"I've been asking around, following rookie minicamp, who have been the most impressive guys? The name that came back to me was Will Campbell," Perry said. "They liked what they saw, impressive physically and in terms of his leadership -- everything they wanted in that period. But the other name was Craig Woodson. For Woodson to be mentioned was noteworthy."
🔊 Next Pats: NOBODY PANIC about Drake Maye’s interceptions; getting to know rookie Craig Woodson | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Woodson played four games in each of his first two seasons at Cal, and then a knee injury wiped out his 2021 campaign. He seized the opportunity to become a starter in 2022 and never looked back. Woodson was a starter his last three seasons for the Golden Bears, and he finished the 2024 season with 45 solo tackles, two interceptions and a career-high nine pass breakups in 13 games.
Perry interviewed Woodson's head coach at Cal, Justin Wilcox, to learn more about the Patriots' fourth-round pick.
"There are a lot of talented guys out there, but not everyone puts in the same amount of time," Wilcox told Perry on Next Pats. "Knowing Craig for six years now, he's someone who's extremely serious about football. He makes decisions 24/7 on what's best for his football career.
"He's extremely coachable, and he improved each year he was here (at Cal). That's ultimately why he got drafted and has an opportunity to embark on a pro football career. He's very coachable and serious about the game. He has traits -- he's a good athlete, he plays the ball very well. I remember his freshman year at fall camp, it was like every day he was making a play on the ball."
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What is Woodson's best attribute?
"The thing Craig did the best was he was versatile," Wilcox explained. "He played the deep part of the field in a half or a post, and he did that effectively. He could track the ball when it was in the air. He played run fits into the box in 3-deep really well. I thought he had really good instincts in the run game.
"He was a physical player and a good tackler. He had good cover skills for a safety. I thought he did a lot of things well. You can also put him on the kick team and the punt team. He just did everything really well, and he did it every day. Never missed practice."
Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers are the top safeties on the Patriots roster, but if Woodson can bring his versatility to the field during training camp and the preseason, he could potentially carve out a meaningful role on this team entering Week 1.
Also in this episode:
- Let's not panic about Drake Maye throwing four interceptions.
- How much will be on Maye’s plate under a Josh McDaniels’ offense?
- The offensive variety we saw from McDaniels.
- First impressions of the rookies.