Patriots’ Most Surprising Draft Pick Will Produce Tough Roster Decision

The New England Patriots added tons of talent in the 2025 NFL Draft, so we decided to take a more in-depth look at their selections and see how they can help the franchise move into a new direction. You’re up, Craig Woodson.

Craig Woodson wasn’t exactly a household name before New England selected him with the No. 106 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Patriots were undeterred in their pursuit, though.

Woodson checked a lot of boxes for New England coming into the draft, meeting the size (6-foot, 210 pounds), experience (46 games, 40 starts) and versatility (recorded 146 snaps in the slot, 266 in the box and 335 in the deep third) benchmarks seemingly put forth. It’s a situation where his value comes from projected ability, not past production — the new normal for drafting defenders into the NFL.

The Cincinnati Bengals have almost zero production to grasp onto from their first-round pick, Shemar Stewart, for example.

New England’s decision to take the unheralded sixth-year senior caught so many by surprise because … well, we have no idea what he’ll be asked to do.

It all depends on what happens around him.

The Patriots have built up decent enough depth at linebacker and safety, though only a few veteran leaders seem to be guaranteed roster spots. Robert Spillane is the only off-ball linebacker you can say that about, though it seems pretty likely that Jack Gibbens and Christian Elliss will join him to round out a relatively small unit. Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, on the other hand, are just the tip of the iceberg at safety, which is a position in which we could see six or seven players kept overall. Woodson will be one of them, alongside veterans Marcus Epps and Brenden Schooler, who have their specific roles already carved out.

If you’re confused about how these pieces will all fit together, think of it as a puzzle.

Mike Vrabel and Terrell Williams will split their linebackers and defensive backs into five categories: line-of-scrimmage options, in-the-box options, slot options, outside options and deep-third options.

Woodson can fit into three of them, which we already laid out earlier, and ultimately will help him get on the field as he tries to carve out a contributing role on the defense.

It’ll just make for a difficult decision on cut-down day, as Dell Pettus, Marte Mapu and Jaylinn Hawkins — three players who made admirable contributions last season — could all be vying for just one remaining roster spot depending on how things shake out. It’s ultimately a good thing for the team, as they can finally boast adequate depth on the defense, but it won’t make things any easier when the tough calls are ultimately made.