| No. 46 – Houston Texans | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 2, 2002 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 | |
| Roster status: | Practice squad |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Ernest Jackson Woodard (born July 2, 2002) is an American professional football linebacker for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and UNLV Rebels.
Woodard attended Little Rock Christian Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was an unranked recruit and received offers from schools such as Southern Nazarene and VMI. [1] However, Woodard decided to commit to play college football for the Arkansas 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 the NCAA transfer portal. [6]
Woodard transferred to play for the UNLV 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 the Mountain 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 over Houston. [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 from NFL Combine/Pro Day [11] [12] [13] | ||||||||||||
Woodard signed with the Seattle 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 the Houston Texans. [16] He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts, and re-signed to the practice squad. [17] [18]