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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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A fourth-round pick (No. 106 overall) out of California, rookie safety Craig Woodson quietly had one of the best seasons of any player on the New England Patriots roster last year.
Woodson stepped into the starting lineup right away and never looked back, leading the Patriots' defense in snaps as a rookie and finishing fourth on the team with 79 total tackles, along with four tackles for loss, three passes defended, and two fumble recoveries.
He only got better as the year went on, too. In the Divisional Round win over Houston, Woodson became the first Patriots rookie to record both an interception and a fumble recovery in a single playoff game. Then, in the Super Bowl against Seattle, he led the team with 10 tackles, including three for loss, and two pass deflections.
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Pro Football Focus named him to its 2025 All-Playoff Team, giving him an overall grade of 84.3, tied for the best among all safeties in the postseason, with his 91.2 run-defense grade leading all safeties outright. In coverage, he allowed just four catches on 14 targets for 28 yards through four postseason games.
And yet, nobody's talking about him nearly enough heading into the 2026 NFL season.
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Woodson has a new teammate in the secondary this season in All-Pro safety Kevin Byard, who signed a one-year, $7 million deal after leading the NFL with seven interceptions last year with the Bears. On paper, you might think that would pull attention away from Woodson, but many around the league believe it will only speed up his development.
Byard himself has already spoken highly about the young safety. "The guy was just a rookie last year," Byard told reporters in March. "But to be a rookie and basically play and start every single game, that’s going to be big for his growth. I definitely see him as an ascending player. I think he can be a really good player as long as he’s healthy and keeps doing what he’s doing."
Zak Kuhr enters the 2026 season as the Patriots' full-time defensive coordinator after serving as interim defensive coordinator for much of last season, and Woodson clearly thrived in his system. Expectations are that he will pick up right where he left off in the playoffs and solidify himself as one of the best young safeties in the league.
New England's training camp kicks off on Saturday, July 25, at Gillette Stadium. And while there's no shortage of storylines to watch, Woodson may be the name Pats fans will want to keep their eyes on the most.
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