When a cornerback does what Tariq Woolen did at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, he usually doesn’t stay on the board long once the draft rolls around.
But somehow, all 32 teams let the 6-4, 205-pounder with 4.2 speed fall all the way to the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft, where the Seattle Seahawks finally scooped him up at No. 153 overall.
Woolen was the No. 58 overall player on our board, and through the first six weeks of his rookie season, even that is looking a bit low.
His latest performance, in Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, featured a leaping interception that helped seal the win late in the fourth quarter, as well as a fumble recovery earlier in the game.
No words for how good @_Tariqwoolen is.
📺 #AZvsSEA on FOX pic.twitter.com/WE9TgZk4g9
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 16, 2022
The week before? An interception and a fumble recovery.
The week before that? A 40-yard pick-six.
Woolen has an interception in each of his last four games, showing off the kind of ball skills you’d expect from a converted wide receiver.
1, 2, 3, 4️⃣@_Tariqwoolen wants more. pic.twitter.com/kOAaWxXrsz
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 17, 2022
While many expected Woolen to require plenty of patience and development before having this kind of impact at the next level, the UTSA product clearly had other plans.
If any team knows how to pluck a superstar cornerback out of the fifth round, it’s the Seahawks. But at this point, even they have to be wondering why they waited that long to snatch up what could be the second coming of Richard Sherman.
