His high school produced great NFL players
Woods is a native of Monroe, La., where he graduated from West Monroe High School in 2013, where he received All-State, All-Northeast Louisiana, and All-District honors as a senior. Among his teammates in high school were Dillon Day, Michael Hunter, Barkevious Mingo, Cam Robinson, Paul Turner, who would all later go on to play in the NFL just like Woods.
Setting records is nothing new to him
As a senior, he recorded 89 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions and six passes defensed. When Woods graduated, his 325 career interception return yards were the most in Louisiana Tech history.
There for every snap
Woods was drafted by the Cowboys in 2020 after playing four seasons he was traded to the Vikings. In his first season with the Vikings he had a total of 72 solo tackles. According to Field Yates, Woods was the only defensive player in the NFL to play every single snap for his team last year.
Hometown hero
Woods holds an annual "Xavier Woods Day" in his hometown of Monroe, La., where he partners with his community for a local Thanksgiving Day Dinner giveaway. In 2020, although many thought COVID-19 would stop the giveaway, Woods managed to help serve those in need safely for Thanksgiving.
View photos of Xavier Woods on set with the Panthers as he officially signs on Thursday.