3 reasons why Patriots drafted Craig Woodson in Round 4

After drafting four offensive players with their first four picks, Eliot Wolf said the Patriots would target defense on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.

That’s exactly what the team did to start Round 4.

With pick 106, the Patriots drafted safety Craig Woodson out of California. A fifth-year senior, Woodson made 70 tackles, 2.5 for loss, with nine pass breakups and interceptions last season. He played in the slot as well as both safety spots in college.

The Patriots certainly don’t lack safety depth.

The team entered the draft with two returning starters Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger. They also signed veteran Marcus Epps. Also returning are Dell Pettus, Jaylinn Hawkins, Marte Mapu, Mark Perry, and Brenden Schooler.

Woodson has position versatility and profiles as a core special teamer.

Here are three reasons why the Patriots drafted him:

The team lacks true free safeties

The Patriots don’t lack depth at this position, so on the surface, it’s a surprise to see the team draft a safety in the fourth round. However, the Patriots depth chart is loaded with strong safeties.

The team could use more depth at the important free safety position.

That’s exactly what Woodson provides. The Patriots haven’t had a legit deep safety since Devin McCourty retired.

Last year, Woodson had an 88.5 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. He also had an 85.6 run defense grade. Woodson played all over California’s defense, but most of his snaps (355) came at free safety.

The Patriots have two pure deep safeties on the roster – Epps (coming off a knee injury) and Hawkins). Now, they added someone who could eventually be their starting free safety in Woodson.

Versatility is key

If you’re going to play in Mike Vrabel’s defense, flexibility is key. With Woodson, the Patriots add a versatile chess piece.

Not only will Woodson add depth to free safety, but gives defensive coordinator Terrell Williams a player who could help at slot cornerback, strong safety, and maybe even as an outside cornerback.

Last year, according to PFF, Woodson played deep safety (335 snaps), strong safety (266), slot cornerback (146), defensive line (25) and outside cornerback (15). On top of that, Woodson was a core special teamer in college. He’ll likely contribute to the Patriots in that way as well.

Although the Patriots return two starting safeties, Dugger and Peppers, Woodson is the type of player who could still make an impact in this defense thanks to his position flexibility.

Woodson is a prototypical Vrabel safety

Vrabel has a mold when it comes to his defensive players. During his time as the head coach of the Titans, Tennessee drafted four safeties (Brady Breeze, Chris Jackson, Amani Hooker and Theo Jackson).

When you average out those four players’ testing times, these are the averages: 5-foot-11, 199 pounds, 4.49 40-yard dash, 37 vertical, 15 bench reps, 10-foot-3-inch broad jump, 7.03 3-cone, and 4.23 shuttle time.

Here’s Woodson’s line: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, 4.45 40-yard dash, 13 bench reps, 10-foot-7-inch broad jump, 7.06 3-cone, and 4.20 shuttle time.

As you can see, Woodson fits the mold of what the Titans looked for in an athlete at the safety position. Now, he’s the first defensive player drafted by Vrabel in New England.

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