The New England Patriots deployed 10 rookies to action in Week 1, and one of them turned out to be the best player on the field for the Patriots in his NFL debut.
It wasn’t first-round pick Will Campbell (4th overall) or second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson (38th overall) or even third-round pick Jared Wilson (95th overall), but it was fourth-round pick Craig Woodson (106th overall) who shone in his debut.
Woodson became a Week 1 starter and was one of only five players to be on the field for 100 percent of the defensive snaps and another nine on special teams. His 72 snaps total are the most by any player on defense for the Patriots.
In fact, there are only three players on the entire team who saw more total snaps than Woodson in Week 1, with Campbell, Wilson, and Mike Onwenu logging 75 in the game.
Woodson finished Week 1 with the second-most tackles on the team (7) and two tackles for a loss of gain. Pro Football Focus graded Woodson as a top safety in the league through Week 1.
- Pass Defense: 69.7 (5th out of 95 safeties)
- Run Defense: 82.3 (2nd out of 95 safeties)
- Overall: 76.5 (15th out of 95 safeties)
#Patriots rookie safety Craig Woodson communicating with the defense and then coming in to make the play. The fourth round rookie is the team’s starting safety after an offseason roster shakeup. pic.twitter.com/pswpn2FNul
— Justin Trombino (@Trombino20) September 8, 2025
Craig Woodson Is Already Looking Like a Home Run Pick
The Patriots had a late offseason shakeup in their safety room that led to the team shopping veteran Kyle Dugger after signing him to an extension after the 2023 season for $58 million over the next four years.
Then it was suddenly announced that the Patriots released veteran Jabrill Peppers. It’s fair to say that between Dugger and Peppers, they’re similar enough players where rostering both of them would’ve become redundant.
Head coach Mike Vrabel is adamant that shopping Dugger and releasing Peppers is not related to the new defensive scheme that Vrabel is implementing in New England, but it’s hard to think otherwise with the way things have turned out.
Vrabel has a specific style of player in mind for certain positions on defense. When it comes to his defensive backs, he enjoys players with length and coverage skills. Woodson is able to provide both of those characteristics at the safety position.
The rookie started getting first-team reps during the preseason, and then in the joint practices, it really became noticeable. He proved to Vrabel that he can provide what he needs from the position in only one preseason.
After the draft, I took a deep dive on Woodson and I came away calling him a “foundational piece” that is a do-it-all player. Although it’s only been one week, Woodson looks like a massive steal for the Patriots.