 Woodard with UNLV in 2023 | |||||
| No. 46 – Houston Texans | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||
| Roster status | Practice squad | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | (2002-07-02)July 2, 2002 (age 23) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Weight | 234 lb (106 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school | Little Rock Christian(Little Rock, Arkansas) | ||||
| College | Arkansas (2020–2022) UNLV (2023–2024) | ||||
| NFL draft | 2025: undrafted | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| |||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2025 | |||||
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Ernest Jackson Woodard (born July 2, 2002) is an American professionalfootballlinebacker for theHouston Texans of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theArkansas Razorbacks andUNLV Rebels.
Woodard attendedLittle Rock Christian Academy inLittle Rock, Arkansas. He was an unrankedrecruit and received offers from schools such as Southern Nazarene and VMI.[1] However, Woodard decided to commit to playcollege football for theArkansas Razorbacks as a preferred walk-on.[2]
In three seasons at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, Woodard played in 28 games where he totaled 16 tackles, and a pass deflection.[3][4][5] After the 2022 season, he entered his name into theNCAA transfer portal.[6]
Woodard transferred to play for theUNLV Rebels.[7] In his first season with UNLV in 2023, he had a breakout season notching 116 tackles with nine being for a loss, two and a half sacks, four pass deflections, and an interception.[8][9] In the 2024 season opener, Woodard was named theMountain West Conference defensive player of the week after posting 11 tackles with four being for a loss, three sacks, and a pass deflection in a win overHouston.[10]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 234 lb (106 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.87 s | 1.71 s | 2.77 s | 4.50 s | 7.44 s | 36.0 in (0.91 m) | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | 21 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[11][12][13] | ||||||||||||
Woodard signed with theSeattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2025.[14] He was waived four days later.[15]
On May 7, 2025, Woodard was claimed off waivers by theHouston Texans.[16] He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts, and re-signed to the practice squad.[17][18] On November 20, the Texans added Woodard to their roster as a standard gameday practice squad elevation.[19]