How Patriots Executive Explained This Criticized Draft Pick

The Patriots were praised much more than criticized during the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, there were some questions after New England used its fourth-round pick on defensive back Craig Woodson. The Cal product was projected to be a fifth- or sixth-round selection before New England drafted him with the fourth pick of the fourth round.

Patriots executive vice president Ryan Cowden defended picking Woodson, saying he was higher on New England’s board than he was on others’. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Woodson his 17th safety in the class, well behind others who were still available.

“We have a process here that we believe in, in terms of our evaluations, our process of scouting,” Cowden said Saturday. “We’re always going to try to stay true to that.”

Cowden related it to a situation he experienced with the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee drafted Kevin Byard in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, which Cowden recalled being criticized at the time. Byard played seven-plus seasons in Tennessee and was named a First Team All-Pro twice.

“It was, ‘Tennessee reached,'” Cowden said. “I’m not ever going to compare players, but comparing situations, it’s a situation where a team trusted the board. I’ve had those scenarios in Carolina, Tennessee, New York, and that’s what you want to believe in. Regardless of what the perception on the outside is, what matters is what we would think inside that room.”

Cowden lauded Woodson for his football intelligence, communication skills and high-level character. The Patriots view Woodson as a safety, but he also played nickel and outside cornerback for the Golden Bears.

“I don’t want to pigeonhole Craig or any of our players into one spot,” Cowden said. “I think he has the versatility to play a lot of roles that the safety position requires. As I mentioned before, the communication skills is something that sets him apart. Craig’s a skilled, high-level communicator.”

The critiques of Woodson were not an indication of the full draft, though. New England earned deserved praise for the majority of its 11 selections. The Patriots hit it out of the park with offense on Days 1 and 2 before they found at least two defensive steals on Day 3. Perhaps Woodson will be a third.