San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Burford, Woolen drafted on third day
After producing two NFL players in the first 10 years of the program, UTSA football scored two selections in the NFL draft in the span of an hour Saturday, with offensive tackle Spencer Burford going to the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round and cornerback Tariq Woolen landing with the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth.
Burford was the No. 134 overall selection before Woolen went No. 153, joining 2018 No. 14 overall pick Marcus Davenport and 2016 sixth-rounder David Morgan as the Roadrunners’ draft choices since the program’s first season in 2011.
Burford, a Wagner product, was a four-year starter at UTSA, playing two seasons at guard before shifting to tackle. He earned first-team All-Conference USA recognition as a senior, allowing only two sacks and one hit on the quarterback in 420 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
After his selection, Burford told the San Francisco media that he felt he was a “perfect fit” for the 49ers’ zone blocking scheme and called coach Kyle Shanahan a “legend with the offense that he runs.”
“They go in there and they refine offensive linemen to be the best they can possibly be,” Burford said. “I’m just happy.”
Burford said some teams projected him as guard during the lead-up to the draft, while others wanted to keep him at tackle. In San Francisco, he said his approach will be to “play wherever they need me.”
He added that he is excited to become teammates with 49ers left tackle Trent Williams, a nine-time Pro Bowler and firstteam All-Pro pick in 2021.
“I’m just glad I got the selection, so I can come in and learn as much as possible from that dude,” Burford said. “I like to watch his game and study his
style of play, so actually, getting this opportunity and a chance to meet with him, play with the dude, that’s a blessing.”
Burford was one of the anchors of a line that helped lead the Roadrunners to a 12-2 record and the program’s first conference championship last season.
“Why leave the city?” UTSA coach Jeff Traylor posted on Twitter after Burford’s selection. “(Burford) is home grown. Chose to stay home. All he did was get drafted/win a championship and got a great degree.”
Woolen switched from receiver to cornerback late in the 2019 season and emerged as a tantalizing prospect due to his 6foot-4 frame and elite
speed, running the 40yard dash in 4.26 seconds at the NFL combine.
He said he models his play after former Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowler Richard Sherman, another tall cornerback at 6-3 who also started as a receiver before making the switch to defense with two years remaining in his college career.
The Seahawks selected Sherman in the 2011 NFL draft with the No. 154 pick — just one slot behind where they landed Woolen on Saturday.
“It’s crazy just to be in kind of the same footsteps as him,” Woolen said. “Now it’s just what I do when I get there.”
Woolen said he was looking forward to practicing against receiver DK Metcalf, an athletic standout at 6-4 with a 4.33-second 40-yard dash.
Woolen’s athletic acumen landed him in the
top 100 of most analysts’ prospect rankings, creating speculation that he might be selected during the draft’s second or third rounds Friday.
After coming off the board Saturday, Woolen admitted he “was thinking I was going to go a little earlier.”
“I was just being patient,” Woolen said. “That’s all it is now. You just have to be patient and pray you go to a good team that fits you. And as it turns out, I was patient, and I went to a team that fits me.”
Though an arm injury sidelined him for the final four games of the Roadrunners’ regular season this year, Woolen finished with 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception and five passes broken up.
He also played part of the 2020 season in a cast after suffering a broken
arm. In 11 games, he totaled 35 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an interception and four pass breakups.
“The Seahawks know a little something about DBs,” Traylor posted to Twitter. “They just got a great one.”
Woolen redshirted during his first year on campus out of Arlington Heights in 2017, then notched 24 receptions for 263 yards and a touchdown during his first two seasons before former coach Frank Wilson pushed him to shift to defense late in 2019.
“I feel like the best is yet to come, and I know under a great coaching staff, I can become a great player,” Woolen said. “I’m already a good player, but I feel I can be great.”