Nick Woodman: Way More Than Your Ordinary Division 3 Football Player

If there was ever a player to change the entire aspect of the NFL’s draft concept, Nick Woodman would be that player.

The Utica College defensive end may be facing more odds than any other NFL prospect, but that hasn’t held him down at all. For those of you who don’t know, Utica College is a Division 3 school located in the city of Utica, NY. The head coach for this school, Blaise Faggiano, has never recruited a player by saying, “Come to Utica College and your chances of going to the NFL will increase.” That’s because it’s nearly impossible for a Division 3 football player to gain enough recognition to realistically have a chance to be drafted.

When it comes to Woodman though, “realistically,” he has one serious shot to make some noise at the pro level.  The 6’5” senior has proven he is nothing but spectacular over the last four years. Each season, he increased his stats while breaking records on the way. His 66 tackles and 14 sacks led the Utica College Pioneers while catching the eye of scouts around the NFL.

“Protein shakes and PB&J were keys to success,” said Woodman. I, for one, doubt NFL scouts agree that those were the only things keeping Woodman on their minds. It’s not like he wasn’t on their minds either. Last April, Woodman worked out for the Washington Redskins and Arizona Cardinals as his first official contact with the NFL.

“I knew the NFL was possible last April,” said Woodman. “It didn’t slow me down though. I’ve pushed myself really hard to be in the best shape I could be in for the season. I was the strongest and fastest I’ve ever been.”

It’s obvious that Woodman has all the physical attributes that any NFL team would be lucky to obtain. The way he is able to push around offensive lineman and make his way to the quarterback is nothing shy of perfection. His talent and hard work goes beyond the field and the weight room, though. “Getting recognition, I knew I needed to work off the field as well,” said Woodman. “I put more time into the game prep then ever before because I knew I would get more double teams.”

If you think that Woodman is banking his NFL shot off of one workout, you’re wrong. Besides leading the Utica College defense and working out for both the Redskins and Cardinals, he was named to the National Bowl; a game played between the best Division 2 and Division 3 players in the country.

Woodman has a better resume than almost the entire Division 3 football world. Ignoring his credentials, his football skill is one of a kind. Any team looking for an edge rusher who doesn’t look Woodman’s way is missing an all-star. 14 sacks and 23 tackles for loss isn’t a number that an average player has. It could be his outstanding speed, but it seems like every play, Nick Woodman is a part of the tackle. It’s like he never misses a snap and runs all over the field like he just came off of the bench. There’s no better word to use than warrior, because that’s what Woodman is. There are few people in all of college football who you can truly rely on to make plays as much as Woodman does.

Most NFL scouts don’t notice the D3 football player. Journalists don’t notice the D3 football player. Almost no one notices the D3 football player, who has a 1 in 1,000 chance to make it. But Nick Woodman isn’t that 1 in 1,000 chance. Nick Woodman is for real.