#Patriots rookie Dustin Woodard retires before first official NFL practice

At least he can always brag to his buddies that he was drafted by the greatest coach of all-time.

Dustin Woodard, a rookie center for the New England Patriots, retired before delivering his first NFL snap, according to NFL Network. He actually retired before his first true NFL practice, since full contact with pads doesn’t begin until Monday.

Woodard, 22, was a seventh-round draft pick (No. 230 overall) from Memphis. He played left guard, right guard and center in college, making 52 straight starts.

It’s not entirely clear what prompted Woodard to walk away, but it was not related to COVID-19, per the report.

The Patriots had a league-high eight players, including starters Patrick Chung, Dont’a Hightower, Marcus Cannon and Matt LaCosse, opt out of the season before the training-camp deadline due to health and safety concerns.

David Andrews, who was a few spots ahead of Woodard on the depth chart as the starting center, did not opt out, though there was a thought he might after missing all last season due to blood clots in his lungs.