Seahawks CB Tariq Woolen Recaps Rookie Season: 'I Beat The Odds'
Before Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen became known as the ball-hawking, rookie Pro Bowl defensive back that he’s labeled as today, he was dominating most of the competition at the NFL Combine.
But this hardly helped him rise high up draft boards before being a fifth-round pick by Seattle. For a receiver-turned-cornerback with little experience in the secondary, NFL teams had their doubts.
The Seahawks were one of them, as coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider have both admitted they never saw Woolen having the kind of rookie season he had.
Now that the elite expectations are set, Woolen has even more odds to defy.
"Whenever I first got here to now, it's crazy cause I made a lot of steps," he said. "I beat a lot of odds and I beat a lot of expectations. People thought I was gonna be an experiment, I'm still getting better and got stuff to work on, but nobody thought a Pro Bowl, nobody thought I'd lead the league in interceptions, nobody thought I'd be a starter."
Woolen finished the regular season tied for the league-lead in interceptions (six) and led the Seahawks in passes defended. He also added two fumble recoveries, a pick-six and blocked a field goal that was returned for a touchdown by Seattle defensive back Mike Jackson.
If not for the success of fellow rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets, Woolen would likely be the runaway favorite to take home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Still, it's impossible to overstate how unprecedented Woolen's rookie season was considering what many teams were telling him prior to the draft.
"People said 'Oh, you're gonna be a gunner.' Every team that I was talking to 'Oh, you're gonna be a special teams guy,'" he said.
With a 6-4, 210-pound frame, Woolen could've found a role on special teams and excelled at it. But this wasn't living up to the expectations he set for himself.
Having teammates that believed him along the way helped make his rookie season even more special.
"For me to go out there and show that I can play in this league and belong here and show that I can actually help my team ... but also having the guys around me help me be able to do that because I'm with some vets ... just having them around me and having them trust in me, it made this season so much fun."
Woolen now enters an offseason that could determine if he's Seattle's franchise cornerstone on defense. But based on what Woolen's done so far, placing any doubt on him would probably be foolish.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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