Craig Woodson started a Super Bowl as a rookie, and now the New England Patriots safety is drawing breakout buzz entering his second NFL season alongside three-time All-Pro Kevin Byard.
One respected NFL evaluator believes the 25-year-old safety is poised to make perhaps the biggest jump of any Patriots player in 2026.
That evaluator is The Athletic‘s Chad Graff, who named Woodson New England’s breakout candidate in the outlet’s team-by-team preview published Monday. Graff wrote that Woodson’s rookie year went largely unnoticed even though he held up against the run and covered plenty of ground at deep safety. Byard’s arrival threatens to draw the spotlight away again, according to Graff, but the Athletic NFL analyst wouldn’t be shocked if Woodson ends up being the Patriots’ most impactful player in 2026.
Craig Woodson’s Rookie Foundation in New England
The Patriots took Woodson in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 106th overall, out of California. He arrived with 46 college games behind him, and New England handed him a starting job as a rookie.
Woodson started 15 of 17 regular-season games and finished with 75 total tackles. He signed a four-year, $5.27 million rookie deal, with New England holding his rights through 2028 before he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2029.
As solid as his regular season turned out to be, Woodson really came into his own under the bright lights of the postseason. The Grand Prairie, Texas, native became the first Patriots rookie to record both an interception and a fumble recovery in a playoff game during the Divisional Round win over the Texans. He followed that with a team-high 10 tackles, three for loss, in the Patriots Super Bowl defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
Woodson on Playing Alongside Kevin Byard
Woodson gave up his No. 31 jersey when Byard signed, switching to No. 4, and he isn’t hiding what he expects to learn from a defender who just led the league in interceptions with 19.
“I know he’s going to help me out there when it comes to seeing things, allowing the game to slow down even more than it’s starting to already,” Woodson said, as quoted by Boston.com. “Once we get to practice and on the field, I’m sure he’s going to give me some keys and some tools that are going to help me.”
Woodson has made clear he isn’t leaning on last season’s résumé heading into training camp. He was blunt about the mentality shift required to build on a debut season that included a Super Bowl start.
“It gave me a lot of confidence knowing that I could play at a high level with the best guys on the field and I just want to keep building on that,” Woodson said. “What I did last year was last year, this is this year and I’ve got to prove myself again.”
His competitive edge is what put Woodson on Graff’s breakout list. Byard’s arrival could have buried a young safety behind a proven veteran. Instead, New England is banking on the pairing accelerating Woodson’s second-year jump, with training camp about to become the first real test of that bet. Woodson enters camp as the presumptive starter opposite Byard, with the Patriots’ revamped secondary shaping up as one of the strongest units on the roster this summer.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post New England Patriots Get Breakout Prediction for 2025 Fourth-Round Pick appeared first on HEAVY.