Woodyard's Longevity A Lesson for Draft Hopefuls
Thirty-four.
That is how many linebackers were selected in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Wesley Woodyard was not one of them, but he outlasted them all. In fact, none of those 34 played beyond 2017, but Woodyard had one of the best seasons of his career in 2018 and was a valuable role player for the Tennessee Titans in 2019.
Woodyard insists that he is not finished. After six seasons, his contract with the Titans expired last month and he remains a free agent. Even if he does not get another opportunity, he can walk away knowing that he made of the most of the one he got when the Denver Broncos signed him as an undrafted rookie 12 years ago.
“This goes out to the guys that are waiting on the draft and don’t know if they are going to get drafted – or guys that get drafted – take it however you want to: the draft is just a starting point,” Woodyard said Wednesday during an appearance on the Jim Rome Show. “You know, obviously, your first, your second, third rounders – this is just how the life of football is – they’re going to get slated in over guys, just because of where they were drafted at. That’s part of the business. But those guys that are in those later rounds or undrafted guys – remember that. Remember those guys that got drafted before you can use that as fuel and go and compete against those guys.”
Woodyard has appeared in 180 games during his career, including all 16 as a rookie. Cliff Avril, a third-round pick by Detroit, played 140, which is the most among the linebackers drafted in 2008.
Two linebackers were among the top 10 overall picks, including Jerrod Mayo, who went 10 overall to New England. Two more went in the second round, seven in the third round, four in the fourth round, sixth in the fifth round, seven in the sixth round and six in the seventh round.
“Me and Jerrod Mayo used to text almost after every week, every game once I became a player or got a little playing time,” Woodyard said. “[It was], ‘How may stats you going to get this week, bro?’ It’s like a friendly competition but at the end of the day I wanted to outlast all those guys and continue to keep going.”
It’s not just the linebackers either. Only three players drafted at any position that year have played more than Woodyard. They are quarterback Matt Ryan, the first overall pick by Atlanta (189), defensive lineman Calais Campbell (second round, 50 overall by Arizona) and defensive back Brandon Carr (fifth round, 140 overall by Kansas City).
Only 10 of the 252 players drafted that year were still active in 2019.
“It’s like little things like that that motivate me,” Woodyard said. “The draft is the starting point and most of the players in the NFL, they’re undrafted or [drafted] in the late rounds. So, it doesn’t matter. You just need a shot and go take advantage of it.”
