A lot of eyes were on the Patriots’ 2025 roster’s newest additions during rookie minicamp earlier this month, especially because the team drafted several presumed Day 1 starters to work with Drake Maye. That prompted excitement about seeing players like left tackle Will Campbell, running back TreVeyon Henderson, and wide receiver Kyle Williams on the field for the first time, and fortunately, they didn’t disappoint.

However, it didn’t distract from the defensive additions, who have also garnered considerable hype in the weeks since the draft. The focus has primarily been on defensive tackle Joshua Farmer and defensive end Bradyn Swinson. But they’re not the ones who seemed to impress the most with their performances.

Instead, one of the more controversial picks, along with (of course) Campbell for the offense, caught the most attention. It’s a pleasant surprise considering the immediate negativity of his selection brought out and should, for the time being, put the doubters to rest.

Patriots most disliked draft pick was among the most impressive during rookie mini camp

When the Patriots announced that they were drafting safety/defensive back Craig Woodson in the fourth round, he was quickly deemed a major reach and the first big mistake of Mike Vrabel’s tenure.

But the disapproval of the pick went beyond just being a reach. Many analysts and fans weren’t thrilled with the kind of player Woodson showed himself to be during his career, making the pick even worse in their eyes.

Luckily for the biggest doubters, Woodson was among the best performers during rookie minicamp and impressed the coaches the most during the week, which is an excellent sign for his future in New England.

Although it’s just minicamp and this doesn’t necessarily mean much in the big scheme of things, it’s a promising update for a player that has garnered a lot of debate since he was drafted last month.

Woodson has good potential and has a solid role to fill if he can prove to be the kind of player the new regime clearly believes he is. The safety room struggled in 2024, with Kyle Dugger dealing with a nagging injury and Jabrill Peppers having legal issues that kept him off the field. On top of that, Marte Mapu is considered to be on thin ice this offseason, opening the door for Woodson to potentially take his spot on the roster.

If he can continue impressing with his performance on the practice field and bring that into the preseason, there’s no reason to believe he will be sitting on the outside looking in once the season begins. That would make the Patriots’ drafting him look much better than it did initially, while also proving Vrabel and Eliot Wolf to have had an even better offseason than they already have.