Craig Woodson on a Super Bowl in the Bay: `We Never Would Have Pictured This'

Thirty Cal football alums have won Super Bowl rings, but there was no reason to believe Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson would join that list this season.

The New England Patriots were 4-13 and finished last in the AFC East each of the past two seasons and, even with new coach Mike Vrabel on board, the team was ranked 21st in 's preseason NFL power ratings.

Yet, Hawkins and Woodson are back in the Bay Area with the Patriots for Sunday’s Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

New England is 17-3 this season, including the postseason, and the two Cal alums have played significant roles as starting safeties.

Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins after an interception against the New York Jets | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Hawkins, 28, had never played on a team with a winning record in his first five seasons in the league. Woodson, 24, is a rookie who had to overcome injuries early in his six years at Cal before blossoming.

"We've been talking about it every day," Woodson told Patriots.com at Monday’s Super Bowl LX Opening Night. "We never would have pictured this – especially me in my first season. I never would have pictured being back in the Bay playing in a Super Bowl."

Their time in Berkeley overlapped by one season, with Hawkins wrapping up his college career in 2019 when Woodson was a true freshman.

The Patriots practiced Tuesday at Stanford, which Hawkins acknowledged was a little strange.

“Man, it’s hard for me,” he told he Bay Area News Group. “But, no, Stanford has a beautiful campus, a beautiful stadium. I give it to them, even though it’s our rival school.”

As much as anything, Hawkins said escaping the fierce winter that has assaulted the East Coast has been a relief. "I'm not going to lie, the sun, the way it felt hitting my skin is just amazing," he said. "We've been in the snow, so obviously it's good to see some sunlight.

The two planned to make time early in the week to revisit familiar ground at Cal. “Just to get back to your roots,” Woodson said, “going up there to see the campus and some of the old coaches and friends that we have up there. It’ll be cool.”

Woodson developed into a dependable and productive player at Cal, totaling 226 tackles over his final three seasons after returning from a knee injury that cost him all of 2021. He had five interceptions for the Bears among 18 passes defended.

A fourth-round pick of the Patriots last year, he started 15 regular-season games, totaling 79 tackles, three passes defended and two fumble recoveries. He’s added 20 tackles in three postseason games.

No Patriots defensive player was on the field for more snaps this season.

And even though he’s a rookie, Woodson didn’t usually play like one, his coach suggested.

“Well, a lot of experience, for one. Craig was in college for a while. We joke about it, but he’s started and played a lot of games, seen a lot of football,” Vrabel told The Athletic. “But he’s continued to learn, understand and develop. He’s gotten better each day. And he’s been durable and available. The more that you’re out there, usually, the better that you get.”

Hawkins, drafted in the fourth round by Atlanta in 2020 after intercepting 10 passes during his time at Cal, spent 3 1/2 seasons with the Falcons before being waived midway through the 2023 campaign. He finished out that season with the Los Angeles Chargers before playing the past two years at New England.

Woodson said having a familiar face in the locker room and on the field has been helpful.

“Just having him here has been a blessing,” Woodson said of Hawkins. “Me and him just have a chemistry on the field. It’s something you can’t really teach. You build it on your own. We’ve done it over the course of the season. “It feels good to have another Cal Bear next to me.”

Hawkins started all 15 games he played this season, totaling 71 tackles and four interceptions.

Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter, Facebook and Bluesky

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