Olympia High grad David Woodward declares for NFL Draft
Olympia High School grad David Woodward is forgoing his final year of eligibility at Utah State and has declared for the NFL Draft, he announced in a tweet on Monday.
“I think I’ve accomplished enough in college,” Woodward said. “After talking with my coaches and my family, I felt it was the right decision.”
In the tweet, Woodward thanked his parents, his teammates and the Aggies’ coaching staff, writing that his four years in Logan were “some of the greatest days of my life.”
Woodward, a former Olympian All-Area Player of the Year in 2015, racked up 256 career tackles in college, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, eight sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss.
Woodward’s season was cut short with an injury on Oct. 19, and he missed the rest of the season. He still leads the Aggies with 93 tackles and four forced fumbles. He had 24 tackles in the team’s season opener against Wake Forest.
“I’ve had a couple concussions, so I don’t think coming back would benefit me that much,” he said. “It was definitely tough not getting to finish the season with my teammates. But I still go to all the meetings and everything.”
Woodward said it’s been a lifelong dream to play in the NFL, even going back to first grade.
“I’ve always wanted to play in the NFL since I was a little kid,” Woodward said. “Since first grade, since I started playing football. It’s always been my dream. Even as a kid, I never watched college or paid that much attention to college football. It was always the NFL.”
Tumwater coach Bill Beattie, Woodward’s former coach at Olympia High School, isn’t surprised to see his former star safety in this position.
“He was absolutely fantastic for us in high school,” Beattie said. “In the (2015) All-Area Player of the Year article, I predicted you’d see him blossom and get bigger and get better and better. This is no surprise to me that he’s going to have this opportunity. He’s worked his tail off for this opportunity. I think this is a great move on his part to try to achieve his dream.”
Woodward has put on 40 pounds to his frame since he arrived at Utah State as a freshman — now at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds. The added weight was an integral part of taking his game to the next level in college.
“I think the extra weight is huge,” he said. “I could tell the difference. When I first got to Utah State, you see the size difference playing at that lighter weight. I could tell, getting that extra weight helped me a lot making tackles and getting off blocks. You can tell the difference.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is Woodward’s football IQ and positioning, which has always been a strength of his game.
“He has great instincts for the ball, which you can’t coach,” Beattie said. “He has that intangible. Not only can he find it, but he has the speed and strength to go make the tackle. He’s always had great technique. So the combination of those things was unbelievable. It’s just no surprise that he’s continually gotten better. He’s very focused and has a great work ethic.”
If Woodward hears his name called in the draft, he’d be the first Olympia High School player drafted into the NFL since former UW defensive tackle John Cook in 1991. Before that? Linebacker Dean Halverson, who played for four different NFL franchises between 1968 and 1975.
“I think that’d be really cool,” Woodward said. “It’d be the first one in a long time. It’s always nice to rep your hometown, get some good recognition.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 8:33 AM with the headline "Olympia High grad David Woodward declares for NFL Draft."
