Wesley Woodyard facts for kids
Woodyard with the Tennessee Titans in 2018
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| No. 52, 59 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | July 21, 1986 LaGrange, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 233 lb (106 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | LaGrange (GA) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Kentucky (2004–2007) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2008 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Wesley Woodyard Jr. (born July 21, 1986) is a former American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the University of Kentucky. After college, he joined the Denver Broncos in 2008. Woodyard also played for the Tennessee Titans during his career.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Wesley Woodyard was born in LaGrange, Georgia. He went to LaGrange High School. In his senior year, he was named the best defensive player in Georgia for his class. He was also chosen for the all-state team.
Woodyard played football for four years in high school. His team had an amazing record of 51 wins and only 3 losses during his last three seasons. They even won two state championships!
College Football Career
Woodyard started playing for the University of Kentucky in 2004. As a freshman, he played in 10 games. He started as a strong safety and later moved to inside linebacker. He made 34 tackles and was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team.
In 2005, as a sophomore, Woodyard started all 11 games as a linebacker. He made 100 tackles and recovered four fumbles. He was recognized as a second-team Sophomore All-American.
During his junior year in 2006, he led his team with 122 tackles. He also earned the Defensive MVP award in the Music City Bowl. In his senior year (2007), he again led the team with 139 tackles.
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+3⁄8 in (1.84 m) |
227 lb (103 kg) |
34+5⁄8 in (0.88 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
4.51 s | 1.52 s | 2.58 s | 4.25 s | 7.15 s | 30 in (0.76 m) |
9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) |
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| All values are from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Wesley Woodyard was not chosen by any team in the 2008 NFL Draft. However, the Denver Broncos signed him as a free agent.
Playing for the Denver Broncos
2008 Season
Woodyard joined the Denver Broncos in 2008. He played in all 16 games as a rookie. He got his first start on November 6, 2008. In that game, he made a season-high ten tackles. He finished his first season with 55 tackles.
2009 Season
In 2009, the Broncos changed their defense. Woodyard became a backup inside linebacker. His teammates chose him as the special teams captain for the season. In the first game, he made an interception against quarterback Carson Palmer. He ended the season with 44 tackles and one interception.
2010 Season
Woodyard continued as a backup linebacker in 2010. He missed some games due to a hamstring injury. In Week 16, he made a season-high nine tackles. The next week, he got his first career sack on quarterback Philip Rivers. He finished the year with 37 tackles and one sack.
2011 Season
In 2011, Woodyard was again chosen as the special teams captain. He became a starting weakside linebacker early in the season. This happened because another player was injured. He had a great game against the Cincinnati Bengals, making 13 tackles. He finished the season with 97 tackles.
2012 Season
Woodyard signed a new contract with the Broncos in 2012. He became the main starting weakside linebacker. In the first game, he made 12 tackles and sacked Ben Roethlisberger. Later, he had a career-high 14 tackles in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He finished the season with 117 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and three interceptions.
The Broncos had a great season, winning 13 games. They made it to the playoffs. Woodyard started in his first NFL playoff game.
2013 Season
In 2013, Woodyard became the starting middle linebacker for the Broncos. He suffered a neck injury during the season, causing him to miss two games. He had a season-high 15 tackles against the New England Patriots. He also made an interception against Alex Smith.
The Broncos reached Super Bowl XLVIII that year. Woodyard played in the Super Bowl, making three tackles. The Broncos lost the game to the Seattle Seahawks. Woodyard was also chosen for the team's Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his good work off the field.
Playing for the Tennessee Titans
2014 Season
In 2014, Woodyard became a free agent. He decided to sign a four-year contract with the Tennessee Titans. He became a starting left inside linebacker for the Titans. In his first game with the team, he made five tackles and sacked Alex Smith. He finished the season with 94 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions.
2015 Season
In 2015, Woodyard started the season as a backup. However, he soon became a starter again. He had a great game against the Miami Dolphins, making ten tackles and a sack. He finished the season with 87 tackles and five sacks.
2016 Season
Woodyard continued as a starting inside linebacker in 2016. In Week 12, he had a career-high three pass deflections and an interception against Jay Cutler. He finished the season with 57 tackles, two sacks, and one interception.
2017 Season
In 2017, the Titans signed Woodyard to a three-year contract extension. He remained a starting inside linebacker. He had a career-high 124 tackles this season. He also made five sacks. This was a very strong year for him.
2018 Season
In 2018, Woodyard continued to play well. In Week 10, he made 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks against the New England Patriots. This performance earned him the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award. He finished the season with 113 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
2019 Season
In 2019, Woodyard's role on the team became smaller. This was because younger linebackers were playing more. In Week 7, he made a key play by forcing a fumble from Melvin Gordon near the goal line. His teammate recovered the ball, helping the Titans win. He finished his last season with 42 tackles and one sack.
NFL Career Statistics
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2008 | DEN | 16 | 6 | 55 | 47 | 8 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009 | DEN | 16 | 0 | 46 | 38 | 8 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2010 | DEN | 11 | 3 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | DEN | 15 | 7 | 90 | 60 | 30 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2012 | DEN | 15 | 14 | 114 | 70 | 44 | 5.5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 25 | 0 | 6 |
| 2013 | DEN | 14 | 10 | 91 | 52 | 39 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2014 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 94 | 53 | 41 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| 2015 | TEN | 16 | 12 | 84 | 51 | 33 | 5.0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | TEN | 16 | 10 | 53 | 39 | 14 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 21 | 0 | 5 |
| 2017 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 121 | 81 | 40 | 5.0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2018 | TEN | 14 | 14 | 113 | 69 | 44 | 4.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2019 | TEN | 15 | 2 | 42 | 25 | 17 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | 180 | 110 | 951 | 627 | 324 | 28.0 | 8 | 5 | 19 | 2 | 8 | 81 | 14.7 | 25 | 0 | 31 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2011 | DEN | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | DEN | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | DEN | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | TEN | 2 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | TEN | 3 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 11 | 3 | 42 | 30 | 12 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal Life
Wesley Woodyard is a Christian. He is married to Veronica, and they have four children.
In 2016, Woodyard was part of a video that became very popular online. Before a game, he picked up a young boy who was cheering for the Titans. He carried the boy a few steps. This kind action was shown on NFL Network. Woodyard said that as a father, it touched his heart to see the child. He believes football can bring people together, no matter their background.
In 2018, Woodyard was honored by being inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame.
