Michael Woods II (born March 19, 2000) is an American professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
wide receiver
A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
for the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...
and
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...
.
Early life
Woods grew up in
Magnolia, Texas
Magnolia is a city in southwestern Montgomery County, Texas, United States within the Houston metropolitan area. It is named for the magnolia trees that grow in the area.Magnolia High School. He caught 155 passes for 2,988 yards and 41 touchdowns in three varsity seasons at Magnolia. Woods was rated a three-star recruit and initially committed to play
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at SMU. He later decommitted and signed to play at Arkansas after SMU coach
Chad Morris
Chad Allen Morris (born December 4, 1968) is an American football coach who was most recently the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Texas State University. He served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University ...
was hired by the school.
College career
Woods began his college career at
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
. He started seven games had 18 receptions for 206 yards and one touchdown as a freshman. Woods gained 423 receiving yards while leading the team with 33 catches and four touchdown receptions in his sophomore season. As a junior, he caught 32 passes for 619 yards and five touchdowns. Woods entered the
NCAA transfer portal
The NCAA transfer portal is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) application, database, and compliance tool created to manage and facilitate the process for student athletes seeking to transfer between member institutions. It is i ...
in April during his junior year.
Woods ultimately transferred to
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
. He played in 11 games during the 2021 season and caught 35 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns. Following the end of the season Woods declared that he would be entering the
2022 NFL draft
The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...
.
Professional career
Woods was selected in the sixth round with the 202nd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
. In his rookie season, he caught five passes for 45 yards while also appearing on
special teams
In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...
.
On April 4, 2023, Woods suffered a ruptured Achilles during an independent workout with
Deshaun Watson
Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, leading the team to a national ...
. He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. On December 1, 2023, Woods was suspended for six games for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
On August 27, 2024, Woods was waived by the Browns and re-signed to the practice squad. On December 7, he was promoted to the active roster.
Personal life
Woods is the nephew of
Dianne Durham
Dianne Patrice Durham (June 17, 1968 – February 4, 2021) was an American artistic gymnast. In 1983, she won the all-around senior title at the women's US National Championships, becoming the first African American athlete to do so. She was ...
, the first Black gymnast to win the USA All-around championship in 1983.