Colts UDFA Jamal Woods strives to tell his late best friend: ‘We made it’

INDIANAPOLIS — Jamal Woods was desperate and determined.

The possibility of failure never scared him, but not having a chance at all? That was terrifying. He’d worked too hard and come too far to give up. The NFL was within arm’s reach, and, after going undrafted, the former Illinois defensive tackle could still feel his dream on his fingertips.

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All Woods needed was a little push to fully grasp the next stage of his career, and the Colts provided it with an invitation to their rookie minicamp. Nothing was guaranteed, but that didn’t matter.

Woods has never shied away from uncertainty, mining for opportunities to rise above it, and this would be no different. The Bears were the only other franchise to extend him a rookie minicamp invitation, but since Indianapolis was the first to offer and previously brought Woods in for its local pro day — the only NFL pro day he participated in — he rolled the dice on the horseshoe.

When Woods arrived at West 56th Street for camp, there was only one thought on his mind: I’m not leaving here without a job.

“That was my last hope,” he said.

Woods didn’t participate in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis or the Senior Bowl in his home state of Alabama. He wasn’t invited. The Colts’ rookie minicamp was likely his only shot to prove he belonged, and, after three days of competition, he caught the eye of defensive coordinator Gus Bradley en route to signing his first NFL contract with Indianapolis.

For the shoe 🔵⚪️ #97strong #colts #mph

— Jamal “Bobo” Woods (@jamal4425) May 8, 2023

“His explosiveness, I think, in rookie minicamp is what jumped out at us,” Bradley said. “We felt like even in the short period of time, just watching the drill work — obviously, his film work that we studied before, but the way he came in, the way he approached it and some of his explosiveness showed up in that short period of time.”

Woods was walking off the field after the final minicamp practice when he was instructed to meet with a few Colts scouts. They were the ones who broke the news, ensuring that he’d stick around as a member of the team’s 90-man offseason roster with a chance to make the final 53-man squad in August.

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Once Woods’ accomplishment sunk in, the memories — and people he made them with — began piercing through his ironclad focus.

The mother and father who worked long hours to make sure he never went without. The older brother who taught him how to tackle by using a tree. The former high school coach who told him he could follow in the footsteps of Jameis Winston and become the next great player from their town.

And the late best friend, Bobby Roundtree, who dreamed of playing alongside him in the NFL.

“My freshman year (of college), we were randomly selected to be roommates,” Woods said. “It was like the first day we linked up, that guy became my brother already. We looked out for each other. We cared for each other. … It was a different kind of love.”

Roundtree burst through the line of scrimmage, made the tackle for loss and got up to dance. Woods saw it all unfold, as he had countless times before in practice, and he couldn’t stop laughing. His buddy was quite the character, a rare mix of ferocity and bliss whenever they shared the field.

But what the two of them couldn’t have known at the time of that play during their first season together at Illinois, is that Roundtree’s promising career would end so suddenly. After making the BTN.com All-Freshman team in 2017 and being named All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media in 2018, Roundtree suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a boating accident near his Florida home May 18, 2019. In one moment, he went from being a future NFL player to an incomplete quadriplegic.

Woods was at home in Alabama when he got the call. It didn’t take long for him to make his way to Roundtree’s bedside at the hospital.

“I tried to take care of him as best as I could because I knew he would do the same for me,” Woods said. “That’s just the type of relationship that we had. It was some hard times, man, not being able to see your brother do the things that he was able to normally do. It was just like, ‘Wow, man.’

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“But I cherished those times, too.”

When Roundtree began rehab in Chicago, Woods would often make the two-hour drive from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus to visit him. They’d bond while Woods tossed Roundtree a ball or cheered him on during other mobility exercises. Woods would also help Roundtree change clothes and transport him back and forth between his bed and wheelchair.

Each time they reconnected, Roundtree had a smile on his face. The accident changed his life, but it could never change his heart. As he pushed through physical therapy, Roundtree developed two mottos: S.H.A.K.E., which stands for Stay Humble and Keep Elevating, and “Earn your weekend,” meaning the work must come before the reward.

Both phrases carried Woods throughout an injury-riddled six-year career at Illinois, and even more so after Roundtree died July 16, 2021. A reason for Roundtree’s death has never been publicly disclosed, but, as always, Woods was there until the very end. He spoke through tears at Roundtree’s funeral, vowing to honor his fallen teammate on and off the field for the rest of his life.

“One thing I did take from him before he left was to just keep going,” Woods said. “You can’t let anything in life stop you from getting to your destination, getting to your goal. God gives his toughest battles to his strongest shoulders, and you just gotta embrace that and keep running with it. Because at the end of the road, it’s gonna be greatness, you know?”

Woods will never forget that big tree. The one on the side of his childhood home in Hueytown, Ala. The one he tried his best to chop down with his shoulder pad rather than an ax.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Woods remembers the sounds of the wood, the marks he left on the wood and the voice of his older brother, Erskine Hawkins, who commanded him and their youngest brother, Malik Woods, to keep hitting the wood.

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“I told them if you could shake this tree, you could shake somebody,” Hawkins said, laughing.

Hawkins labeled himself as his younger siblings’ unofficial youth coach and admits he had unique teaching methods back then. But no matter how ridiculous the task, Woods never gave up. He hit that tree over and over, each day trying to accomplish the impossible.

“Ever since he was a little boy, everything that he put his mind to, he tried to be the best at that,” Hawkins said. “So, I knew once he put the pads on and went to the field, he was gonna be the best. He always had the desire, and he always had the mindset.”

Woods was 7 at the time, and as wild as that drill was, it instilled a level of toughness in him that’s become a hallmark of his game.

“It was like, ‘Wow, none of these kids are hitting as hard as I am,'” Woods said, laughing. “So, maybe that tree helped.”

Woods, 23, was inspired to play football because of Hawkins, who’s seven years older than him. However, Hawkins thinks Woods’ true inspiration is their mother, Felicia Weldon. She’s worked two jobs for as long as they can remember, and, alongside Woods’ father, Antonio Feldon, taught him the importance of diligence and dedication.

They never cut corners, asked for freebies or made excuses.

They just made it happen.

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Felicia Weldon remembers how their lives used to look, when her kids were young and they were being raised in the Birmingham “projects.” The family now lives in a six-bedroom house in Hueytown.

“I didn’t sit back and wait for handouts,” said Weldon, who’s a cashier at Walmart and a custodian at McAdory High in McCalla, Ala. “Yeah, I had government assistance at one time, but I never was the kind to really depend on it. So, whatever (my kids) needed, I felt like in my heart, God was gonna give me enough strength to work and provide to go get it. And that’s what Jamal is. He’s a go-getter.”

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Once a three-star recruit, Woods has always found a way to get what he feels he deserves, regardless of the odds stacked against him. He’s confident he can become the fourth Hueytown High alum within the last decade to play in the NFL, joining linebacker Deon Lacey (Buffalo, Miami), tight end Wes Saxton (New York Jets) and, most notably, Winston. The former Heisman Trophy winner and 2015 No. 1 pick is the Saints’ backup quarterback, and he’s the only recent Hueytown grad who’s carved out a lengthy pro career.

That’s who Woods is chasing.

Rick Rabb watched Woods try his hand at quarterback early in his high school career, and although Woods was big-bodied and athletic, he wasn’t the next Winston.

Rabb would know because Winston is his best friend. The two played together at Hueytown and graduated in 2012. Winston went on to star at Florida State, while Rabb eventually returned to his alma mater to be an assistant. Rabb worked with the defensive line, yet every day at practice, he’d glance across the field and see Woods.

That kid has a lot of talent, but he should be on my side of the ball, he thought.

“I know what it looks like when a player can play beyond high school because I saw Jameis do it. I watched him firsthand from eighth grade all the way up to 12th grade,” Rabb said. “I knew Jamal was going to the next level. … When I saw him throwing the ball around, one thing I noticed is he has this gear that he doesn’t come out of. He’s just always going.”

After mulling the idea, Rabb finally asked Woods to try out defensive line. If he wasn’t good at it, Rabb would leave him alone.

“He didn’t lose a rep,” Rabb said.

Woods dominated the trenches from that day forward. Every big play in high school pulled him closer to a Power 5 scholarship at Illinois and eventually the doorstep of the NFL with the Colts. Rabb has remained in Woods’ ear at every turn, reminding him of what Winston has accomplished and what he can do if he stays focused.

Indianapolis hosts New Orleans in Week 8, and Woods plans on being on the opposite sideline of the player he’s looked up to.

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“Being from the same high school that he’s from, you just want to keep building the legacy,” Woods said. “That’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. … Give kids hope and give the current (Hueytown) players hope that they can do it, too.”

Woods is proud of the perseverance he’s shown throughout his journey, though in his mind, he still hasn’t done what he set out to do. His dream wasn’t to stick around after the Colts’ rookie minicamp. That was simply a rung on the ladder.

His dream is to begin a long-lasting NFL career, backed by so many people he holds near to his heart.

The mother and father who sacrificed more than he’ll ever know. The older brother who used a tree to help him branch out. The former high school coach who changed his position and his future.

And the late best friend, Roundtree, who still guides him from above.

“I just want to be able to tell Bobby, ‘I made it. We made it,'” Woods said. “That would be a blessing.”

(Top photo courtesy of the Indianapolis Colts)