LAS VEGAS — Former UTSA cornerback Tariq Woolen became the second Roadrunner of the day and fourth in program history to be selected in the NFL Draft when he was picked by the Seattle Seahawks with the 10th selection in the fifth round (No. 153 overall) on Saturday.
Woolen joins Spencer Burford, Marcus Davenport and David Morgan II as Roadrunners who have heard their name called in the NFL Draft in the 11-year history of the program.
Burford was taken earlier Saturday with the 29th pick in the fourth round (134th overall) by the San Francisco 49ers, giving UTSA two draft picks in less than one hour, the same number of selections in school history prior to this year.
Davenport became the first UTSA player to be selected in the first round when he was taken 14th overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2018, while Morgan was the first draft pick in program annals when the Minnesota Vikings selected him with the 13th pick in the sixth round (No. 188 overall) in in 2016.
Woolen played in 41 career games over four seasons for the Roadrunners, including full-time on defense during the last two campaigns after converting from wide receiver. The converted wide receiver emerged as one of the top cornerbacks in the league, tallying 60 total tackles, 38 solo stops, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 11 pass breakups and a pair of interceptions combined over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, helping UTSA to 19 wins and back-to-back bowl games.
An honorable mention All-Conference USA performer last fall, Woolen started all nine games in which he was available to help lead the Roadrunners to a 12-2 record, a national ranking as high as No. 15 and the program's first Conference USA Championship. The Fort Worth Arlington Heights High product posted 25 total tackles, 17 unassisted stops, 2.5 TFL, five PBUs, one interception and a quarterback hurry in his final campaign. Measuring 6-4 and 205 pounds, he helped lead a defense that forced 25 turnovers, good for 10th among all FBS teams, and yielded only 114.7 rushing yards per game, which ranked 14th nationally.
Woolen produced 35 stops, including 20 solos, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, to along with an interception and five PBUs as a junior in 2020 in his first full season playing defense. He appeared in 11 contests and made seven starts at corner for a unit that led C-USA in interceptions (11), takeaways (19) and turnover margin (+7), ranking 19th nationally in turnovers gained and 23rd in the country in INTs.
After a redshirt season in 2017, Woolen caught 24 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown, averaging 11.0 yards per catch, before making the move to cornerback late in the 2019 season.
One of three Roadrunners invited to participate in this year's NFL Scouting Combine, Woolen opened eyes when he clocked a 4.26 40-yard dash —the fourth-fastest time in NFL Combine history — and reached 42 inches in the vertical jump, which was the top mark by any player this year and the sixth-highest leap by a cornerback in NFL Combine annals.
Woolen received invitations to play in the Reese's Senior Bowl, East-West Shrine Bowl and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He accepted the Senior Bowl invite and played for the American Team in the annual all-star game in Mobile, Alabama.
The NFL Draft continues Saturday. For more information and ways to watch, please visit https://www.nfl.com/network/events/nfl-draft.
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