Fourth overall selections in the NFL Draft normally are not cornerbacks, because that high up in the first round is commonly reserved for the likes of the offensive stars, like a superstar quarterback or a behemoth, road-grading offensive lineman. But Charles Woodson is no ordinary defensive back.

The man that made college football sexy, the player who brought a sense of swagger and chippiness into every single play on the gridiron, Woodson was the pinnacle of talking smack and being able to back it up.

Having won the Heisman award in 1997 for the University of Michigan Wolverines as a shutdown corner, a burner of a wide receiver, and a crafty return man, Woodson was drafted in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. The Heisman award was the third in the history of the NCAA to be won by a Michigan player (Desmond Howard and Tom Harmon came before Woodson), and the first given to a player that had played significant time on both sides of the ball.

All Woodson did in his NFL career was continue to be a shutdown corner, winning the ‘98 Rookie of the Year award, as well as the 2009 AP Defensive Player of the Year award. Woodson made the All-Pro team three times, the Pro Bowl nine times, and won a lone Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 2010.

While his career highlights take up a whole highlight reel, these tend to be some of the best moments that he produced in his 18-year career.

5. Week 4 & 5 Of Woodson’s Rookie Season

For Woodson, being the fourth overall pick comes with a lot of pressure, and he easily delivered on that in his first season in Oakland. It only took four weeks for Woodson to record his first career NFL interception and his first career touchdown.

On the 27th of September in 1998, Woodson picked off Dallas Cowboys quarterback and eventual head coach Jason Garrett in the third quarter for his first INT after covering wide receiver and legend Michael Irvin. Irvin had six catches for 89 yards that day, and the Raiders won, 13-12.

One week later, in the desert of Arizona, the Raiders faced the Arizona Cardinals, and Woodson helped contribute to his team’s third win of the season. On another third-quarter turnover, Woodson took a pick of QB Jake Plummer back to the house for 46 yards, and this was the two-game stretch that helped show everyone that Woodson was here to stay.

4. Woodson’s First Career Two-Interception Game

October 5th, 2003 was the sight of Woodson’s first career two-interception game, and they both came off of the arm of Chicago Bears’ quarterback Kordell Stewart.

To close out the first half, Woodson picked off a pass intended for WR Marty Booker and took it back 51 yards that helped set up an eventual 33-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski going into half time.

In the first drive out of the half, Stewart again found Woodson when trying to complete a pass, and Woodson returned that back 16 yards, which led to a blocked field goal later on during that drive.

For Woodson, the 2003 season was a mess for Oakland, but he put together a solid three-interception year for the 4-12 Raiders.

3. Week 12 – 17, 2006 Season

While not necessarily just one game, the end of Woodson’s 2006 season was that of a dominating superstar that knew how to take over games from the defensive side of the ball. Eight interceptions were recorded that season, but he only had two going into Week 12 of the ‘06 regular season.

2006 marked the first year that Woodson was a member of the Green Bay Packers, having just signed a seven-year, $52 million deal with the Packers. Any sort of free-agent signee was big-time news for Green Bay, known as a notoriously non-existent franchise when the offseason rolled around; however, their dedication to improving their defense proved to be very fruitful, especially considering the career years that Woodson put up in Green and Gold.

From weeks 12 through 17, Woodson strung together six interceptions and even had one week (Week 14 at San Francisco) that he did not record an interception.

Week 12 – 2 interceptions against Seattle (L)
Week 13 – 1 interception against New York (AFC) (L)
Week 15 – 1 interception against Detroit (W)
Week 16 – 1 interception against Minnesota (W)
Week 17 – 1 interception against Chicago (W)

While the Packers missed the postseason this year, they were able to realize that their offseason move of bringing in Woodson was paying dividends already in its first year.

2. Thanksgiving Day 2009 – Shutdown Of Calvin Johnson

Woodson’s 2009 season was the year that he won the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award, a very prestigious award for the then-33-year-old defensive back. As Green Bay seemed to be very close to piecing their roster together for that memorable run, Woodson’s performance on Thanksgiving Day of that year was one remarkable performance.

That year, Green Bay faced the Detroit Lions in a turkey-day special, and Woodson, being the no.1 option on defense, was tasked with trying to limit the impact that Calvin Johnson had on the game. While there was no possibility of shutting down Megatron, Woodson came as close as he possibly could have.

Seven tackles, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery was how Woodson decided to fill the stat sheet on that Thursday. But the more remarkable stat was what did not show up for Johnson.

Two catches for 12 yards (on a whopping 12 targets) was all that Johnson could muster in that game. While Johnson had a pretty decent height and weight advantage over Woodson, the veteran’s defensive craftiness is exactly what keeps him in every single play he was targeted.

By wearing the target on your back, you earn the attention of everyone, and you have to show up or shut up in those instances. Woodson showed up, and he pieced together a nine-interception season that year to lead the Packer defense, including two games of two interceptions apiece.

1. Super Bowl XLV – Finally Getting What Woodson Deserved

Even though he broke his collarbone in the game and was unable to finish the entire game, Woodson was finally able to reach the top of the mountain and win a Super Bowl trophy. Having helped bring the trophy back to where it originated seems to have meant a lot to Woodson, who detailed out in a 2016 ESPN article how much pride he took in that moment, being able to be on the field (sling and all) and just see the confetti stream down on him.

Woodson’s 2010 season was definitely a far cry from his ‘09 AP award-winning year, as he only recorded two interceptions, but teams understood how integral of a part of the Packer defense he was and tried to stay away from him if possible. He only recorded one game of double-digit tackles that year, but the veteran presence that Woodson was able to provide the team more than made up for the lack of discernible stats that filled the box score every week.

Having finally been able to accomplish the goal that most NFLers have when they join the league, Woodson’s career had a nice bow on top of it, although the ultimate bow was when he went back to play for the Raiders for three more seasons.

Woodson’s final game was January 3, 2016, and he retired after that, ending a beautiful NFL career that accomplished so much and left so many in awe of the things that he did for the sport.