Wesley Woodyard

Wesley Woodyard

Woodyard with the Broncos in 2012.
No. 59 Tennessee Titans
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1986-07-21) July 21, 1986
Place of birth:	LaGrange, Georgia
Height:
Weight:
Career information
College:	Kentucky
Undrafted:	2008
Career history
Denver Broncos (2008–2013) Tennessee Titans (2014–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
First Team All-SEC (2006–2007) Honorable Mention All-SEC (2005) AFC Champion (2013)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2015
Total tackles: 608 Sacks: 15.5 Pass deflections: 18 Interceptions: 7 Forced fumbles: 9 Defensive touchdowns: 1 Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Wesley Woodyard Jr. (born July 21, 1986) nicknamed "The Lumberjack", is an American football linebacker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Denver Broncos in 2008. He played college football for the University of Kentucky.

High school career

Woodyard was born in LaGrange, Georgia and attended LaGrange High School. He was named the Georgia Class AAA Defensive Player of the Year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was first-team all-state as a senior by the Georgia Sportswriters Association and the Journal-Constitution. As a four-year letterman and two-year starter at outside linebacker, the team posted a 51-3 record during his three seasons, winning a pair of state championships.

College career

As a freshman in 2004, Woodyard played in the first 10 games and midway through the season, he switched from strong safety to inside linebacker. He recorded 34 tackles for the season and was selected for the Freshman All-SEC Team by SEC coaches. As a sophomore in 2005, he started all 11 games at linebacker. For the season he recorded 100 tackles, seven for-a-loss and four fumble recoveries. He was named second-team Sophomore All-American and All-SEC Honorable mention.

As a junior in 2006, Woodyard started all 13 games at linebacker, leading the team with 122 tackles and tackles-for-loss with 9.5. For the season he earned Defensive MVP honors in the Music City Bowl. As a senior in 2007, he started all 13 games at linebacker, leading the team with 139 tackles. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Professional career

Denver Broncos

Woodyard went unselected in the 2008 NFL Draft, but was later signed by the Denver Broncos. As a rookie, he filled in for the injured starter, D. J. Williams. He recorded 10 solo tackles in his first NFL start against the Cleveland Browns on November 6, 2008.

Woodyard re-signed with the Broncos on a two-year contract on March 19, 2012. The Broncos selected him for the team's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for 2013.

Tennessee Titans

On March 14, 2014, Woodyard signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Tennessee Titans.

NFL stats

Year	Team	GP	COMB	TOTAL	AST	SACK	FF	FR	FR YDS	INT	IR YDS	AVG IR	LNG	TD	PD
2008	DEN	16	55	47	8	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
2009	DEN	16	44	32	12	0.0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2
2010	DEN	11	37	33	4	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2011	DEN	15	97	67	30	0.0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
2012	DEN	15	117	73	44	5.5	1	1	12	3	40	13	25	0	6
2013	DEN	14	84	48	36	1.5	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	4
Career		87	434	300	134	8.0	8	1	0	5	40	8	25	0	15

Key

• GP: games played
• COMB: combined tackles
• TOTAL: total tackles
• AST: assisted tackles
• SACK: sacks
• FF: forced fumbles
• FR: fumble recoveries
• FR YDS: fumble return yards
• INT: interceptions
• IR YDS: interception return yards
• AVG IR: average interception return
• LNG: longest interception return
• TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
• PD: passes defensed

Personal life

Woodyard is married to Veronica Woodyard. Woodyard is a Christian. In 2014, he and his wife welcomed their first child, a boy named Greyson Wesley Woodyard. In 2015, Woodyard & wife welcomed their second child, a daughter, Noah Elle Woodyard.

External links

• Tennessee Titans bio
• Denver Broncos bio
• Kentucky Wildcats bio