Dustin
Woodard.
Dustin
Woodard.
Memphis
"New England drafted Memphis' 52-start interior lineman at No. 230 for his versatility, but he retired during his rookie training camp and never played an NFL regular-season game."Pre-draft read
Woodard was a four-year starter on Memphis' interior line, a 6-2, 291-pounder who started at left guard, right guard and finally center, making 52 starts. His primary trait was mobility: he moved well laterally, reached defenders in the zone run game and climbed quickly to linebackers, helping power four of the top five offenses in school history.
His secondary trait was intelligence, with a feel for protection calls and blitz pickup that kept him from being caught off guard. In pass protection his short frame could be overpowered by bigger tackles. His athletic ceiling was limited by size, and his signature was the durability and smarts of a player who rarely left the field.
Outside zone scheme that asks interior linemen to move laterally, reach defenders and climb quickly to the second level.
Year 1: practice squad or inactive interior backup. Ceiling: versatile game-day backup at all three interior spots.
Power-gap, man-blocking scheme that needs a big center to anchor against nose tackles and drive defenders off the ball.
His mobility gave him a path in zone schemes despite his size.
Dustin Woodard gets Drafted
Memphis feature on his selection by New England.
Patriots Draft Center Dustin Woodard | 2020 NFL Draft
Patriots breakdown of the 230th pick.
Memphis Offensive Line Vs. Ole Miss 2019
Memphis' line in the 2019 opener, his first season at center.
Woodard projected as a smart, experienced interior lineman whose size limited him to the final round. Evaluators praised his mobility, toughness and versatility across all three interior spots, but questioned whether a 291-pound blocker could anchor against NFL defensive tackles.
He started two seasons at left guard, one at right guard and his senior year at center, played a school-record 54 games for an offensive lineman and was part of 3,627 of 3,925 possible snaps. He was named first-team All-American Athletic Conference in 2018 at right guard and second team in 2019 at center, when Memphis won the conference title. The flags were his size, a lack of power at the point of attack and occasional trouble with stunts and A-gap blitzes.
Most boards viewed him as a late-round or priority free agent center. New England took him at No. 230, valuing his versatility and intelligence as a potential backup across the interior of its line. The fit made sense for a franchise that has long prized smart, flexible linemen who can learn several spots quickly.
- 01
Durability
Played a school-record 54 games for a Memphis offensive lineman and was on the field for 3,627 of 3,925 possible snaps.
- 02
Positional versatility
Started at left guard, right guard and center across his career, giving teams a backup for all three interior spots.
- 03
Mobility
Moved well laterally, reached defenders in the zone run game and climbed quickly to linebackers at the second level.
- 04
Intelligence
Handled protection calls as a center and was rarely caught off guard by blitzes, backed by academic honors off the field.
- 05
Proven production
Earned first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors in 2018 and second team in 2019 while blocking for record offenses.
- 01
Undersized frame
At 6-2 and 291 pounds he lacked the mass to anchor consistently against bigger NFL defensive tackles.
- 02
Limited power
Struggled to move defenders off the ball on gap runs, relying on angles and position instead of drive-blocking strength.
- 03
Stunts and A-gap pressure
Could be slow to pass off twists and occasionally struggled with interior blitzes shooting through the A-gap.
- 04
Scheme dependence
His size made him a fit mainly in zone-based offenses, narrowing the number of teams that viewed him as a match.
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Memphis | — |
| 2017 | Memphis | — |
| 2018 | Memphis | — |
| 2019 | Memphis | — |
| Career | — | 54 |
Offensive linemen carry no statistical line. Memphis and the Patriots confirm 54 career games and 52 starts: two seasons at left guard, 2018 at right guard (first-team All-AAC) and 2019 at center. Season-by-season game and start counts are not published, so they are left blank.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a pick who retired in camp before playing a snap.
Smart, versatile Day 3 interior lineman who became a long-time starter.
Undersized, smart center who bounced between practice squads and backup roles.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Woodard signed with New England but retired from football on August 13, 2020, during his rookie training camp. He unretired in April 2021 and was reinstated by the Patriots, but he did not stick on the roster and never appeared in an NFL regular-season game. He did not resurface with another NFL team afterward, closing his pro career without a single snap.
In hindsight the pick produced no on-field value, though the reason had little to do with the scouting report. The size concerns that pushed him to the seventh round were real, but his durability, versatility and intelligence were the kind of traits New England often turns into useful depth, and he never got a full chance to test them against NFL competition. His career is a reminder that late-round picks carry personal as well as football risk, and that a player's commitment to the game matters as much as the tape a team studies before draft weekend.