Patriots rookie retires just months after being drafted by Bill Belichick, per report



Woodward has decided to walk away from the game of football


By Jordan Dajani
Aug 13, 2020 at 4:57 pm ET1 min read


The New England Patriots lost yet another player before the 2020 season as on Thursday, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that seventh-round pick center Dustin Woodard is retiring. According to Pelissero, Woodard's decision is not related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he just simply decided to walk away from the game of football.

Woodard was a versatile interior offensive lineman that played guard and center for Memphis. He was Bill Belichick's final selection of the 2020 NFL Draft. According to Pro Football Focus, Woodard was the highest-graded guard in the AAC in 2018 before moving to center for his senior season. That position change didn't affect him, however, as he was the No. 2 graded center in all of college football last year, again, per PFF.


During his time at Memphis, the Arizona native tied the program record for most starts by an offensive lineman with 52, and all 52 came consecutively. He helped block for four of the top five offenses in Memphis football program history, according to Memphis' official website. Many believed Woodard was one of the more underrated picks the Patriots made earlier this offseason.
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/p...ck-per-report/