Which NFL Team Will Draft UNLV's Jackson Woodard?

There are two UNLV Rebels football players we have focused in on during the 2025 NFL Draft process so far. It was the two players who were invited to participate in the 2025 NFL Scouting combine. On offense, the Rebels sent star wide receiver and special teams ace Ricky White III, and on the other side of the ball, they sent defensive captain Jackson Woodard.

 Both participated in the combine last week, and now that NFL teams have gathered more information on them, we can start to make a prediction about where they might land in the NFL Draft and which teams might select them. Here, we will look at Woodard and mock exactly where he will be selected in April's draft. 

ILB  Jackson Woodard, New York Giants

Round 7, Pick 221

Woodard was team leader and captain at UNLV. Anyone who has been around him during his college days can't stop raving about his character. From what we've heard, he did nothing but reinforce that narrative at the NFL Combine last week. His interviews were great, and NFL teams came away with the same impression everyone has come away with for years now.

If you watch Woodard's film, what you see is an outstanding football player who lacks elite athleticism. His football IQ, instincts, and leadership are evident on film. He also is a tackling machine with a knack for making plays in the backfield. There is a chance he is one of the steals of the draft and will far outperform his draft-day value. The standout inside linebacker played at such a high level in 2024 that he was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year. That doesn't happen by accident. 

We expect the Giants to snatch him up because they have a long history of drafting both team captains and smaller conferences' top players. ILB is a position where they have had a void for a long time, and no one should be shocked if Woodard steps in and has a major impact in the NFL as a two-down thumper who racks up tackles.