The Saints lost a key special teams player in Justin Hardee this offseason, but they might’ve found the next guy. It doesn’t seem like a big deal to lose a special teams player, but Justin Hardee plays at an elite level and gets double teamed every game which allows the other special teams players to win their one on ones. So who is the guy who could fill this hole? Based on what I’ve seen, the player is Lawrence Woods.
Woods is a DB out of Truman, standing at 5’9, 180 pounds. Woods was a star special teams player at Truman. He played mainly corner when on defense, but his special teams tape is what makes him stand out and is what I believe led the Saints to sign him.
On film his tackling is persistent and he plays with awareness. He knows where the ball is and secures the tackle. The saints tend to struggle on downing punts when it’s inside the 20, but with the signing of Lawrence Woods that problem could no longer exist. The gunner position is an available position and Woods in my opinion is the guy who will take that job.
To go along with this he is an excellent returner. Deonte Harris is our returner, but he does seem to be injury prone, which is where Woods comes in. He totaled 609 kick returner yards (8th best in school history), GLVC special teams player of the year, all American player as a returner all in the same season.
As camp approaches keep an eye out for Lawrence Woods and his name, he’ll be fighting for a spot on the roster and the way he makes it is from special teams play.
Written By Kadin Janisch
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