.jpg) Woods with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 | |||||||||
| No. 86 – New York Jets | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Tight end | ||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1998-10-09)October 9, 1998 (age 27) Ellenwood, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 253 lb (115 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Cedar Grove (Ellenwood) | ||||||||
| College |
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| NFL draft | 2022: 3rd round, 73rd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||
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Jelani Woods (born October 9, 1998) is an American professionalfootballtight end for theNew York Jets of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOklahoma State Cowboys before transferring to theVirginia Cavaliers for 2021, when he was named first-team All-ACC. Woods was selected by the Colts in the third round of the2022 NFL draft.
Woods grew up inEllenwood, Georgia, and attendedCedar Grove High School. He played quarterback and passed for 1,992 yards with 20 touchdown passes against six interceptions in his junior season.[1] Woods was also named honorable mention All-State in basketball byThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution.[2] As a senior, he was named honorable mention All-State and first-team All-Region 5 3A after passing for 2,316 yards and 26 touchdowns.[3] Woods was rated a three-star recruit and committed to playcollege football atOklahoma State over offers fromMichigan,Louisville,Kansas State, andSouth Carolina.[4][5]
Woods began his college career at Oklahoma State. He joined the team as an early enrollee andredshirted his freshman year and was moved from quarterback to tight end during the Cowboys practices leading up to the2017 Camping World Bowl.[6][7] Woods finished his redshirt freshman season with seven receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns.[8] As a redshirt sophomore, he caught 16 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown and was an honorable mentionAll-Big 12 Conference selection.[9] Woods had eight receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown and was again named honorable mention All-Big 12 as a redshirt junior.[10]
Following the end of the season, Woods announced he would be transferring toVirginia Cavaliers as a graduate student.[11] He was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference after catching 44 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns.[12]
| 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 ft7+1⁄8 in (2.01 m) | 253 lb (115 kg) | 34+1⁄8 in (0.87 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 4.61 s | 1.57 s | 2.62 s | 4.33 s | 6.95 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) | 24 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[13][14][15] | ||||||||||||
Woods was drafted by theIndianapolis Colts in the third round with the 73rd overall pick in the2022 NFL draft.[16][17] In Week 3, against theKansas City Chiefs, Woods scored his first two professional touchdowns on his first two career receptions in a 20–17 victory.[18] He finished the season with 25 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns.
On August 30, 2023, Woods was placed on injured reserve.[19]
On August 23, 2024, it was announced that Woods had undergone toe surgery and would miss roughly four months in recovery.[20]
On August 26, 2025, Woods was waived by the Colts as part of final roster cuts.[21]
On August 27, 2025, Woods was claimed off waivers by theNew York Jets.[22]