The 2026 season is on the way as the New England Patriots prepare to trim the roster before their Super Bowl rematch on September 9 against Seattle. One area that's in solid shape after the offseason is the defensive secondary.
PFF's Gordon McGuinness has chosen each NFL team's breakout candidate, and Patriots' second-year safety Craig Woodson is his choice for New England.
Woodson had a surprisingly solid rookie season, playing in all 17 regular-season games and starting 15 of them. He was a home-run fourth-round draft pick in the first draft of the Mike Vrabel era in Foxborough.
Now, even more is being expected from Woodson in year two, and he's poised to deliver it for the defense.
Craig Woodson could have the biggest breakout for the Patriots in 2026
The Patriots have a few solid units as they approach the Seattle game. Along with quarterback Drake Maye, the rebuilt wide receiver room, and maybe the running back unit, the defensive secondary is among the team's best.
That's no surprise, given the group Vrabel has assembled. The Patriots have one of the NFL's top cornerbacks, Christian Gonzalez; a second strong corner in Carlton Davis III; free safety Kevin Byard III, a 2025 NFL First-Team All-Pro; and star slot corner Marcus Jones.
Add Craig Woodson, seen by McGuiness as a breakout candidate, and you have a unit that Pro Football Focus calls the NFL's best.
"A fourth-round pick out of Cal in the 2025 NFL Draft, safety Craig Woodson played 1,202 snaps across the 2025 regular season and playoffs as a rookie. His 89.7 PFF run-defense grade far outpaced his 63.0 PFF coverage grade, making him better suited to playing in the box.
The addition of Kevin Byard III in free agency should allow him to continue to thrive in that role. Even a modest improvement in coverage could see Woodson begin to earn more recognition."
Kevin Byard III has taken Craig Woodson under his wing. He'sidentifiedd one specific area he wants Woodson to improve in 2026: interceptions. Woodson had none in 2025. Since Byard tied for the NFL's 2025 lead in interceptions, Woodson couldn't have a better mentor.
If Woodson can break out and add a bunch of interceptions to his resume in 2026, then the sky will be the limit for the Patriots' secondary. It may have to be, with the lack of depth elsewhere on their defense.
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